Radical Dreamers
by Tsu-chanB
Summary: Erev loved her brother, but sometimes she really wished he would stop getting himself into trouble and dragging her into it too. But that's what happens when you're Yusuke's sister.If the demons didn't kill him first she was sure to get to him eventually.
1. Chapter 1: Lonesome Folly

Radical Dreamers

Action/Adventure / General

By: Tsu-chanB

Rated for blood and violence

Disclaimer: I take no credit for making/owning Yu Yu Hakusho or any related characters.

Attention: Radical Dreamers is purely fictional and meant for entertainment purposes only. Any resemblance, similarity, allusion , association, duplication or metaphysical likeness to any person, place, event or star trek episode is purely coincidental, unintended, and 100-percent freaky-deaky.

IMPORTANT: Wow! It's been forever and a day since I tried to work on this thing. I actually forgot about it for a while there XD So, longer chapters, better writing, better plot. I think it works. My main problem was I got to the end of chapter 5 and hit a wall. Ran smack-dab into it! U I had no plan and no vision. But, I have both now, mwahaha! So, enjoy :D

Dictionary of Japanese Words and Names:  
Erev (Eh-rehv): Chaos/ Lack of Order

Niichan (nee-chahn): Big Brother

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Chapter 1: Lonesome Folly

Beep. Be-

A slender female hand shot out from beneath a large mound of blankets and slammed down on the small alarm clock. The mound shifted and the blankets fell halfway off of the bed to reveal a young teenage girl. One of the straps of her nightgown slid off her small shoulder as her brown eyes stared dazedly at the wall on the opposite side of the room.

She sat like that for another minute before yawning and slipping out from beneath the blankets, stumbling away from the warm confines of her bed. She slid a hand through her long black hair and yawned again, moving to the door of her room. A devious grin suddenly spread across her lips as she awoke fully and she silently crept out into the hall, slinking over to the door across from her.

She slowly turned the knob and opened the door slightly, peeking inside. Her target sat in plain view. His arms and legs splayed out across the bed, a large snot bubble expanding and contracting with each breath he took. The girl tiptoed into the room, slinking her way to the bed. She bent down right next to her brother's ear and took a deep breath.

"WAKE UP!" He jumped nearly a foot in the air and fell off the opposite side of the bed with a loud thump. The girl fell over laughing and wrapped her arms around her aching sides.

"Erev!" Her brother shot up into a sitting position and glared. The boy's face was red with anger and it looked like he was about to explode.

"Careful niichan, you might spontaneously combust if you don't calm down," Erev snickered. He jumped forward, intending to strangle the younger girl. But she was too quick and dodged his attack, moving to stand next to the door.

"Man, you fall for that one every time," she continued, "I swear you could sleep through an earthquake." He grunted and turned so his back was facing her.

"Leave me alone, I was planning on sleeping in today," Erev could see him crossing his arms over his chest.

"Well, now that you're awake, you can come to school with me." She smiled innocently.

"And if I say no?" He turned his head to her, his brown eyes bored and defiant. Erev tapped her chin in mock thoughtfulness.

"I wonder if I should take up Kuwabara's offer on a date . . ." The boy's eyes widened and he looked sickened by her comment.

"Is there something wrong with you? Why would you do something like that?"

"It would only bother you, Yusuke," Erev placed her hands on her hips, "Kuwabara happens to be a very kind gentleman, even if he doesn't harbor the best looks." Yusuke 'hmphed' and stood.

"Well? Are you gonna leave or do you want me to change in front of you?"

"Oh no, my eyes couldn't handle that." She laughed, closing the door to the room. She left to the bathroom and took a shower.

Twenty minutes later she came out fully dressed in the standard blue school uniform, her hair set in a French braid. She found her brother leaning on the wall next to the door. He snored lightly and Erev snickered, flicking him on the ear as she walked past him to the kitchen.

She heated up some ramen on the stove and set a bowl of the steaming noodles on the table for Yusuke, who chose that moment to walk in grumbling about girls always taking advantage of him. They ate in silence and Erev's eyes wandered to the living room where their mother lay passed out on the floor in front of the TV.

Erev sighed and stared at her food, nudging the noodles around with her chopsticks. Yusuke glanced over at the melancholy girl.

"Hey, you're not gonna absorb it magically," he muttered, "You gotta eat."

She looked up, startled, and smiled. Erev slurped up her noodles and the frown on her face soon returned.

"I just wish mom would be more responsible." She relinquished her thoughts, collecting the empty bowls and placing them in the already full sink. Erev made a note to herself to clean them when she got home.

"Whatever," her brother scoffed, standing to leave, "The hag can party herself to death, for all I care."

"Ready?" he asked, standing by the front door. She nodded and moved to join him. He held out her briefcase as they exited the house, which she accepted with a smile.

"You don't really mean that, Yusuke," Erev finished the conversation as they walked down the street.

"Hmph." The rest of the trip passed in silence.

Yusuke left her side once they reached the school and trudged up the stairs to the roof. Erev shrugged, it was enough for her that he came at all. She walked down the tiled hallway to her homeroom and found the room almost halfway full with students. A few stopped and stared as she meandered by to her desk, but she ignored them. She had become used to the odd looks she received for being Yusuke's sister. Others waved as she passed, friends unhindered by the rumors that followed her brother everywhere he went. She slid into her seat and stared out the window, waiting for class to begin.

ooo  
"Yusuke!" Erev threw open the door to the roof and looked around. Her brother was nowhere in sight.

"Yusuke, you nincompoop, come out here so I can give you your lunch!" She nearly shouted.

"Tone it down a few notches, will ya?" Yusuke commented from behind.

"Wah!" Erev jumped and spun around, smacking her brother across the side of his face. "Don't do that!"

The delinquent rubbed his head, "Geez, gimme a break!"

"Well, anyway," Erev shoved a bento box into his hands, "here's lunch. I'm going to go eat with some friends, O Reclusive One."

"What friends? You're not eating with Kuwabara, are you?" He glared.

She rolled her eyes, "No Yusuke, but Haruko invited me to have lunch with his friends. Is that okay?" Erev asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, whatever," he mumbled, moving to sit against the wall.

"Aw, you know you care." Erev grinned, hugged him fiercely, and left the roof running.

She reached the classroom Haruko was waiting in in record time. A small group of students huddled around one of the desks by the windows. She recognized Haruko's spiked blonde hair and joined the gathering, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Hey Haru, what did I miss?" Erev tried to see over the shoulder of the boy in front of her but couldn't get a clear view. She looked back to her friend to see the fleeting remnants of a blush dissipate from his cheeks.

"Well, you know that photo album you let me borrow, just to look at?" Erev nodded. "Some of the other guys caught a look at it and started making a scene. Sooo . . . here we are!" He finished with a shrug.

Erev shrugged back jokingly. She pushed her way to the desk with her photo album on it and swept the item off of the counter. The girl smiled with a 'thank you' and returned the pictures to her own desk. She sat on its top and opened her lunch, beckoning Haruko to join her by waving her chopsticks in the air.

"You're really good at that, you know," the boy commented, referring to her photos, as he came up beside her, "You should sell them, or charge people for professional pictures."

"Nah," she waved off his suggestion, "I'm still just learning this stuff. Taking good pictures is harder than most people think."

"But you're naturally good at it, Erev."

"Did you bring a lunch, Haru?" Erev changed the subject. "Cause I have extra if you need any."

The boy shook his head, defeated. He could never win with her.

ooo  
The electronic bell chimed to signal the end of classes. Erev gathered her papers as other students hurried out the door or loitered in the classroom, talking. She picked up her briefcase and headed to the door. But when she reached the hallway she stopped. Her name was being called over the intercom.

"Urameshi Erev, please report to Takenaka's office immediately." She remained standing in the hall, wondering what she could have done. Despite her brother's bad reputation, she was a good student and never really broke the rules.

Erev shrugged and left for the office. She was probably being called to bail her brother out of trouble, knowing him. She loved her brother, but Erev didn't appreciate the fact that he nearly ruined her good name by being such a trouble-maker. Whenever she met someone for the first time they would always say, "Oh, Urameshi's sister?" and either look at her funny, run away, or give up talking to her altogether. It took a lot of time and effort for Erev to build up the circle of friends she now had, despite being friendly and cheerful to everyone she met.

She smiled with a resigned shrug as she pushed open the door to Takenaka's office. Erev knew she would gladly give up her reputation and all the friends she had gained for the sake of her brother. She just didn't know what she would do without him.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Erev bowed respectfully in greeting. The dean smiled briefly and offered her a seat in front of his desk.

"I didn't want you to go home without hearing the news, Urameshi-san. Lord knows your mother's having a hard enough time as it is." He mumbled vaguely. Takenaka sighed and swiveled his chair to the side.

Erev's heart pounded in her ears as nausea swelled up in her stomach. Something bad had happened, bad enough to make her mother worried. She wiped her damp palms against her skirt before clearing her throat.

"Takenaka-san, is Yusuke in the hospital?"

The dean closed his eyes with a grimace and turned to face the waiting girl with jaded eyes, "No, Erev, Yusuke didn't make it to the hospital."

She was about to question him when he continued, "He jumped in front of a car to save a little boy. . . . He was gone before the ambulance arrived."

"Gone?" Erev repeated. He couldn't possibly mean what she thought he meant. Not Yusuke, not _her_ brother. He couldn't be . . . .

"I'm sorry," Takenaka spoke, consoling.

"Gone?" Her confusion quickly morphed into disbelief covered in anger. Erev sent a withering glare to the dean.

"I don't believe you," she snarled and bolted from the office before the man could stop her. Yusuke would have already gone home by now. He would be at home. The dissociated girl bumped shoulders with someone as she rushed out of the school yard.

"Erev! What's goin' on?" Haruko called, but received no answer as the teen continued her sprint home.

He would be home. Erev steeled every cell in her body into believing that was the truth.

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Guide to the Perfect Review: (lol! I'm pathetic!)

1. Your overall opinion.  
2. The scene that stood out.  
3. Any spelling/mistakes, etc.  
4. Any suggestions for the future.  
5. What you think will happen next.  
6. General comments, and questions for me.

(From Crystalsoul at Fictionworks-dot-org)


	2. Chapter 2: Straying Doubt

A/N: Hopefully this chapter will be something good. As you will see I've changed a lot about how the story will progress so I will ask previous readers to disregard and wipe from your memory the other chapters that were posted. I'm going to try to get this thing running again.

Btw, I've been thinking of changing Erev's name since it's not very Japanese in a Japanese Anime. Let me know what you think of that. But I'm not asking for suggestions, so please keep those to yourself as they will be completely ignored. Thanks and enjoy!

Chapter 2: Straying Doubt

The front door slammed open with a bang. Panting, Erev surveyed the room. Her heart sank as she saw her mother seated on the floor across from a photo of her brother with beer bottle in hand. Atsuko looked up at her daughter and opened her mouth to speak.

"No!" Erev turned away and sprinted back down the street. She frantically searched through all of his usual haunts, checked every pachinko parlor that side of town, and toured the junior high hangouts. But Erev still found no sign of her absent brother.

Defeated and unwilling to believe the truth, Erev slumped into a wooden bench on the outskirts of a small park. For a long while she only stared. The reality of it all slowly sank into her as the sun blended into the horizon. Yusuke was dead. He had left her.

There was no way for her to prepare for it, no way to expect it. Erev had never even dreamed that she would have to be ready for a death in the family. Not this early, at least. So she wasn't prepared for the onslaught of emotions that accompanied the revelation of her brother's demise.

The tears came quickly then; tears of anger, fear, and longing. She hid her face in her hands, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. What was she supposed to do now? Didn't Yusuke know she needed him, depended on him? Then again, it was just like him to leave out of the blue like that. He was always so abrupt.

"Miss? Are you alright?" A soft voice called Erev from her pondering. She suddenly remembered she was still crying and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I'm okay," she croaked, looking up into the boy's sapphire eyes. He seemed doubtful of her assurances and sat down beside her.

"Care to share?" he asked after a short silence. Erev stared at the ground. She made sure that her voice was devoid of scratchiness before she spoke.

"I just found out that my brother died." Her fists tightened around her skirt. She had finally admitted the truth out loud and a new lump formed in her throat as fresh tears pooled in her eyes.

"Oh," his voice dropped slightly. "I can understand why you would be crying now. I guess there's not much I can do to help, is there?"

Erev shook her head, still too emotional to speak. He still stayed seated and after a few minutes turned back to Erev again.

"You know, my uncle died fairly recently. I liked him a lot and had a hard time getting over his death. I don't know if my method will apply to you, but what really helped me was just getting away for a little while. You know, not hanging around places that he would have been around. If you go out and have an adventure, you forget what real life is like."

Erev nodded and smiled lightly at her companion. "I understand. Thank you very much. You've helped me a lot."

She stood and bowed to him before turning to leave.

"Wait," he said, also standing. Erev turned back around.

He cleared his throat seemingly in nervousness. "If you're up for it I wouldn't mind helping you start off your adventure."

One of Erev's eyebrows shot up questioningly.

"I mean, not by myself of course," he clarified. "Some of my friends are getting together tonight to throw a little party. If you come, it might help you to forget for a little while."

Erev's suspicion dissipated even though she still gave thought to his offer before deciding. He seemed like a fairly decent person so she wouldn't have to worry about what kind of party it was. And even if she didn't like the place, she could always leave. She still had a home to go to. Erev finally nodded, "Alright. That sounds like a good chance to test your theory. I'm Erev, by the way."

"Yuki. It's a pleasure," he smiled. "The party starts at eight. So, if we start walking now we can make it there a little early. It's this way."

Yuki led Erev down the street. As they walked Erev shared more of her own story with him. He was very good at asking questions. Erev almost forgot where they were going until they arrived at the entrance of a worn looking duplex. She hardly thought on the state of the building, knowing from experience that looks weren't everything. Sometimes good people lived in bad places.

"Just to warn you, it'll probably be a mess inside," Yuki said. Erev nodded and said it would be okay with her.

Erev had been willing to believe her assumptions until Yuki opened the door. The stench of old cigarettes and beer hit her as she stepped over the threshold into the living room. A pack of guys sat and stood in various places, some smoking and some drinking. Some of them welcomed Yuki very heartily.

Erev turned to him. "This isn't my kind of party," she said coolly. "I'm leaving."

Yuki grabbed at her arm before she could go far. "Come on, you haven't even gotten past the door. I thought you wanted to have an adventure."

Erev glared, finally seeing past her companion's smile. His grip on her arm was tight and controlling, much less than friendly. "Obviously we have different ideas of what that means. Now let go of my arm before I break yours."

He laughed. "Getting feisty?"

"Did you bring us a friend, Yuki?" one of the guys asked as three of them approached, circling around to block the door. Erev glared back at their lecherous glances.

Yuki shook his head. "Sorry guys, this one's not a toy. She's for Masuro's personal use."

"The hell?" A bald guy asked incredulously. "I thought you didn't believe in any of that hocus-pocus crap he keeps spouting about."

"I don't. But I do believe in money, which he's offered in compensation for bringing a subject. Isn't that right, Masuro?"

"Hm," a spiky haired blonde agreed from a couch on the other side of the room. "Yes, Yuki, you'll get your reward."

Erev jumped into action, seeing that the attention was not on her. She quickly pushed one of Yuki's fingers back toward his wrist until it snapped loudly. Adrenaline rushing, Erev leapt for the door.

But the others had also reacted to Yuki's screaming curses and piled onto her before she could get far. Her wrists and ankles were quickly tied.

They threw her on the bare floor before Masuro's feet. The last two of the group sat close to him, one flanking his right on the arm of the couch, the other leaning casually against the wall on his left. Erev counted seven men in all, too many for her to handle. She knew some basic fighting skills that Yusuke taught her when they were younger, but her brother was the real expert. He could beat those guys up for her in no time.

But Yusuke was dead. He wasn't coming to rescue her. Erev was on her own. And she already knew she didn't stand a chance.

"Hm. You have spunk but your eyes are dead. Good. That's exactly what I need." Masuro stood and pulled her up by the collar of her uniform to coolly stare her down.

"Do you believe in the supernatural?" he asked, easily tossing her into his former seat on the couch.

Erev remained obstinately silent, still trying to wriggle free of her restraints.

Masuro continued, "Not many do. I myself think it's real and I've recently come across a way to prove it." He walked across to the only bookshelf in the room. The volume he pulled out was dusty and falling to pieces. Masuro opened it to a bookmark close to the middle. He removed the piece of paper and held it up for all to see. It showed a strange, artistic symbol.

"This is a charm," Masuro explained, returning to stand in front of Erev. "It will bring a spirit forth from the underworld."

He pushed the paper against Erev's forehead, where it stayed. "But our spirit needs a host. And that's where you come in."

"Yo, Masuro," one of the spectators cut in. "Can we have her when you're done with all that magic stuff? We all know it won't really do anything."

"Hm, we'll see," Masuro frowned deeply and began to read the script of the book before any more interruptions came.

As Masuro began his otherworldly chant Erev tried to shake the silly piece of paper off of her forehead. The stiff parchment barely fluttered at her movement and showed no signs of letting go of her.

Erev finally gave up and sat still, waiting for him to finish. She would try her escape again then. She didn't believe in that stuff anyway. It was just a silly superstition.

Masuro finished speaking and clamped the book shut. The room fell deathly silent in anticipation. After a few seconds of waiting Yuki spoke up.

"I told you, Masuro. It's just a load of –"

He was cut off by a loud scream from Erev. She began to writhe on the couch, shaking her head back and forth.

Once Masuro stopped talking Erev felt a pressure begin to build behind her forehead. Lightheadedness followed and the pressure suddenly flared into a blinding intensity that caused her screams and wild movements. It was as if her head was caving in, as if something immense was forcing its way in where there wasn't enough room for it to be.

And then she couldn't breath. The boys had stuffed a shirt in her face to quiet her screaming. Erev would have stopped if she could, but all control she had over her voice was lost.

The lack of oxygen took away the searing pain, but the lightheadedness returned. She could feel her body shutting down under the overload. Her vision tunneled into black. It quickly returned, but she couldn't think enough to figure her situation out.

When Erev regained her wits she realized she was lying with her cheek pressed against the cold ground. She stared across the level plane of the room, head still throbbing in a pulsing beat. Voices sounded above her.

"Dude, you killed her!"

"Don't be an idiot. She's still breathing."

"Hey, did anyone else see that glowing light?"

Erev continued to stare. She couldn't move. But she needed to. She needed to leave before they got the idea to try another experiment on her.

She blinked slowly, trying to think coherently, and opened her eyes to find a red film covering the world.

A grunt sounded from her throat as her arms flexed against their bindings. The rope easily split apart. The only problem was that Erev had not thought of trying to break out of her restraints. She knew she couldn't. She knew she wasn't strong enough.

And now she was standing, surveying the room and its occupants as if she had never seen them before.

Erev realized with a sudden certainty that she was not the one in control anymore. Her body was following another's orders now. She was only a spectator. Apparently, Masuro's convictions were just proven true.

She suddenly pointed at Masuro. "Explain yourself, human. Why have you bonded me to a woman's body?" Erev's tenant snarled. The male's voice gave her own a deeper, harsh undertone.

Masuro stood dumbfounded. Either he hadn't believed that anything would happen or he was shocked at how different the scenario was from his own imaginings.

"Fool!" the spirit continued. "You humans are disgusting, always finding ways to disrupt our kind by meddling in things beyond your comprehension. Did you not realize that the binding spell you chanted is permanent? Now I must wait for this host to die before I can inhabit a more suitable body."

"I didn't –" Masuro began shakily.

"Think? No you did not. And for that you must die. Your offense is unforgivable. I may have shown you more mercy for freeing me if you had done it properly. But not this way."

In the next moment her arm drove through Masuro's chest.

Masuro made no sound and neither did anyone else in the room. Erev, too, was shocked into silence. She had wanted to be rescued, but her wish didn't include the death of her assailant.

The spirit inhabiting Erev's body took a step back, allowing Masuro's limp body to fall to the floor with a dull thud. Erev's eyes turned to the rest of the group.

'No,' Erev thought desperately. 'No. You can't do this. You can't kill them.'

'This body belongs to me now. I will do as I see fit.' The responding thoughts of the spirit sounded like an actual voice to Erev. It seemed they could communicate through thought even though their minds were separate.

'No, please don't.' Erev could hardly think. Everything was happening so fast. She already had one death on her hands, even if she hadn't really committed the crime. She didn't want to see anyone else die that day.

'Hmph. Your pleadings are idiotic and useless. You have no power here.'

A curse from the outside world broke into their conversation.

"The girl's gone nuts!" One of Masuro's followers proclaimed. He swiftly pulled a gun from a back pocket and took aim.

The spirit was faster. Erev's controller grabbed the man's wrist in the next second and twisted until it snapped. At the same time the heel of Erev's palm shot against his face, driving the man's nasal column into his skull. He dropped and the spirit turned to the next one.

In the same bloody manner the spirit decimated the other five. Erev wanted to stop him, but her screams were ignored. She couldn't even look away. Her eyes were where he wanted them to be, so they both saw the same things. Erev felt that the spirit enjoyed his killings; that he relished in the blood and destruction. He was a nightmare she would never wake up from.

The spirit stood among the dead. Erev's eyes swept over the room again and she knew he was thinking about what to do next. Then, with a sudden lurch, she was back in control again.

She could see more clearly and hear the clock ticking on the wall. And she could feel again. She could feel everything; the warmth of the blood against her cheeks and dripping down her arms and hands to the ground, the pounding of her fearful heart, and most of all the thudding beat of the spirit's presence still pressing against her mind.

Erev knew the switch was unintentional. The spirit was fighting to get out, to have control. And she was too weak to deny him.

Her freedom was short lived. The gathering fatigue of a long day of trauma pulled her toward the ground. She was soon falling.

Falling into black.


	3. Chapter 3: Lost in the Deep

Chapter 3: Lost in the Deep

Erev was awake but not fully alive. Consciousness had brought her back under control of the evil spirit, back to a darkened and dulled world hidden beneath shades of red. The nightmare remained.

He had brought her to the top of an old warehouse in a silent yard. The horizon brightened, signaling the impending morning. Erev noticed that her body had been cleaned up from the evening's catastrophe. Not a hint of blood remained and her soiled school uniform was replaced with a white t-shirt and jeans.

Erev wasn't sure what to do. From what she had seen of the spirit's temperament she knew she wanted to stay as far away from him as possible. But going by what he said she was stuck sharing her brain space with the psychopath for the rest of her life. That would be a long seventy-odd years of living in the back of her own head if she couldn't convince the spirit to share. And trying to bargain with him was about all she could do.

'At least he can't kill me,' she thought wryly. 'That would certainly be counterproductive.'

She addressed her tenant. 'Hey, spirit!'

Erev saw her own arm twitch in response.

'My name is Serith,' he snarled back.

'Fine, Serith. I'm going to try to be civil with you since it looks like we're stuck with each other for a while. First off, despite what you may be thinking, this body is still mine.'

'I am the one in control,' he pointed out.

'True. But I've been in this body longer, meaning I've been a woman longer. I highly doubt you've ever gone through a monthly cycle before, to put the term nicely.'

Erev smirked to herself as he responded with silence. She continued. 'Also, it would be in your best interest to allow me to have control so I can continue to go to school and such. It would be rather suspicious for a good, upstanding citizen to suddenly run off and do God knows what. People might get the idea to try to exorcise you or something.'

Serith laughed into the still silence. 'Those superstitious humans have little power over creatures with any amount of real fortitude. I do not fear them. But I see that you are trying to bargain and I am willing to make an agreement. Though the humans pose no threat there are other forces you are unaware of that I wish to remain hidden from. My proposal is such: that for one day of the week and one hour everyday besides I will have control of this body with no complaints and no questions asked. In the remainder of the time you may do what you will.'

Erev thought it over. She didn't think it would be that easy to convince him, but it seemed he had his own reasons for staying out of the limelight anyway. Erev didn't like the 'no complaints, no questions' part of Serith's idea. She couldn't put much against it though. He was giving her a good deal.

For Erev one question still remained to be asked. 'How can I trust you to keep up your end of the bargain?'

'Do you have a choice?'

Erev huffed. 'Fine, just don't do anything that would permanently damage my body.'

'Hm.'

It seemed that he was hardly agreeing to Erev's requirement.

Serith suddenly stood. Erev's chocolate brown eyes roved steadily over the surrounding area.

'What is is?' Erev asked.

'I sense a demon nearby.'

'A demon? What the hell? I thought demons were only in folk tales and campfire stories!' Erev exclaimed. 'Where do all of you supernatural things live? How do you hide from everyone when there are so many of you floating around? I mean, come on. First spirits, now demons. Are you going to tell me the tooth fairy exists now too?'

'Shut up,' Serith snarled.

Erev stopped directing her thoughts to him and instead concentrated on trying to find this so called demon he was talking about. By know she was willing to believe he was telling the truth, considering her current spirit possessed circumstances. It was always nice to have proof though.

And she got that proof. Serith turned their eyes in time to see a black blur flit away.

Serith pushed away from the roof and Erev caught a glimpse of the black-clad, red eyed demon before a well aimed punch from Serith sent him crashing down to the dock's pavement.

Serith landed on the ground a few feet away from him. The demon rose to his feet and wiped the blood from his lip with a ferocious glare.

'My God!' Erev exclaimed to her companion. 'Are you crazy? Don't pick a fight with him. You'll get us killed!'

'Hmph. I don't need your input,' Serith responded, eyes never leaving the glaring demon.

"You're no human,' the demon stated.

"Perceptive, but untrue," Serith said. "The body is human. The possessor is not. Care to share your story?"

"I live here," he responded simply.

"Ah, so I am encroaching on your territory then? Tell me, were you planning on killing me? I could feel in your movements that you were going to attack, so I knew it wasn't only curiosity that drew you."

'Knock it off, you blockhead!' Erev interrupted. 'Just because you want to fight doesn't mean my body is up for it. I'll have you know I'm very out of shape.'

'We'll see,' Serith responded.

"Hn. Don't flatter yourself." The demon continued the conversation in the real world. "The humans in this area are superstitious enough, but I want to be certain that I'm not discovered. The girl's body emits too much spirit energy to go undetected, besides."

"My apologies," Serith said sarcastically. "And why all the secrecy?"

"That's none of your concern."

"Oh, but I'm making it my concern. The only reason a demon would have to remain completely undetected is if he's done something to upset those in Spirit World or he plans to do so. Which is it?" Serith crossed Erev's arms smugly.

The demon's glare deepened. "Leave now or I will kill you."

"Have I hit the nail on the head then?" Serith laughed.

Erev was beginning to get anxious. She knew Serith wasn't taking the demon's threat seriously and began to wonder if she could push her way back into control. Then again, that might make things worse seeing how weak her body was under her control compared to her counterpart. Maybe the situation would work itself out . . . .

Her train of thought was interrupted as Serith jumped back. The demon's sword bit into Erev's skin, creating a long slash from hip to opposite shoulder.

Serith dropped to one knee and winced, placing a hand over the wound. A grin suddenly lit on Erev's lips as Serith charged at the demon. The fight began.

Erev's eyes followed everything, flitting here and there so Serith could block a punch or throw one of his own. Serith could follow the demon, but Erev couldn't even figure out what her own 

eyes were showing her. It seemed her brain was too slow to completely process what her senses perceived.

Erev could hardly see and she couldn't feel any of the blows exchanged, but she knew enough to be able to tell that Serith was losing. She hoped that he would make a stunning comeback. The alternative would certainly end in death.

Serith suddenly doubled over as the demon landed an uppercut to the open gash on Erev's stomach. The demon swung again, this time at the jaw, and sent Serith sprawling onto the ground several feet away. Erev's head lifted weakly before Serith fell unconscious, letting her body go limp.

For the second time Erev's senses awoke to the feeling of warm blood sliding down her skin. Except this time the blood was hers. And with that blood came excruciating pain. Her muscles ached from exertion and overuse, the slash across her torso throbbed with a stinging sharpness, and numerous other areas of her face and chest made her aware of where the demon had landed his punches as they pulsed painfully. All these sensations fell on Erev in a second as she realized she was in control of her body. And then the pain got worse.

The demon's heavy boot came down on Erev's bleeding wound. She screamed and moved her hands to try pushing him off as her eyes flew open. The world began to blur as tears leaked from her eyes. The sharp blade of his sword pressed against Erev's neck.

"You should learn to listen," he said. The katana bit into her skin, drawing more blood. The blade stopped. He didn't make the kill.

Erev's tearing chocolate eyes connected with his crimson ones. A silence settled.

"You're not the same," he finally stated, blunt and unconcerned.

Erev croaked out a 'no'.

"Hn. The coward hides behind his human host?" His voice was laced with disgust.

Erev didn't get a chance to respond. The sword at her neck withdrew before coming down against her temple. She felt it hit hard as the morning light dropped into black.

ooooo

It was dark again when Erev awoke. Her body still ached but in a lessened intensity. Fortunately that meant she still had control of her body. She didn't realize how gratifying it would feel to have her own mind in charge of her own body. It was certainly a privilege she had taken for granted.

Erev pushed herself into a sitting position. The building was dark and musty. Crates and boxed were stacked high all around. She was certain she was inside one of the warehouses.

Looking down she saw that her wounds had been treated. Bandages wrapped neatly around her chest and stomach. Erev also felt one against the skin of her neck. She quickly connected the dots. For some reason the demon had decided not to kill her, and actually worked to save her life instead. She didn't find any explanation for why he would do that.

And then she saw him. The demon sat against a stack of crates to her left, head bowed and breathing slowly. He was obviously asleep. Erev decided not to stick around, despite the thankfulness she felt toward the demon for not ending her life. He almost killed her once, and she was sure he would try it again if she stayed long enough to find out why he saved her in the first place. He definitely seemed to be of an ill-tempered sort.

Erev rolled onto her hands and knees and slowly began to crawl in the opposite direction of the sleeping demon, trying to make as little noise as possible. She bit her lip hard as the motion intensified the pain in her stomach, each movement of her legs contracting and then slackening the skin around her wound. She prayed that the cut wouldn't reopen.

She had barely traveled more than five feet when a smooth, dark voice called from behind.

"You cannot leave."

Erev turned to see the demon still resting. But now his eyes were open and glaring, the bloody red color reflecting what little light shone in the darkness. A shiver ran down her spine as goosebumps rose on her arms. Erev clenched her hands into fists, fear suddenly overrunning most of her thought processes. Somehow he was more menacing now than before. Serith was nowhere near consciousness so Erev couldn't count on him to come to her rescue. She was alone with the demon and completely under his control.


	4. Chapter 4: Mine for the Taking

A/N: I'm finally getting into something worth reading with this chapter. Again, I apologize for the delay. Work and school take up most of my time, just like the rest of the twenty-something population. Anyway, I want to thank all of my reviewers, especially the ones that have stuck with this for a while. I promise that it will be worth it one day, probably when you stop caring. So, thanks, hope you enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review! ;)

Chapter 4: Mine for the Taking

Erev remained silent for a long minute as she made certain that her voice was devoid of all shakiness. There was no need to give the demon another reason to lord his power over her. She rolled herself into a sitting position facing her newest captor.

"What's the point in that?" The surety of her voice gave Erev a new confidence and she slowly began to see that the demon's demand was anything but rational. "First you want to kill me for not leaving and now you want to kill me if I try to do just that. Make up your mind or just kill me and get it over with."

His first response was to remove the katana from beneath the folds of his cloak and set it on the ground beside him: a warning. Then he spoke.

"You do not know what possesses you. While not strong enough against me, the demonic spirit you house could prove an asset in the raid I plan to carry out. He is the one I want. You're just the medium."

Erev crossed her arms over her chest, affronted that she was being rescued by Serith even while he was unconscious. "Too bad for you he's out. You shouldn't have hit so hard."

With a 'hmph' of annoyed disinterest the demon closed his eyes again and ignored Erev completely. The girl glared at him in turn, a growl growing low in her throat. Anger began to overtake her fear. She fumed in silence for several moments, mad at the demon, at Serith, and even at Yusuke for unknowingly forcing her into her current situation.

Erev was sick of this 'adventure.' She wanted nothing more than to go back home and mourn her brother's death like a normal person. She wanted to go back to school, to normalcy, and forget all about the existence of spirits and demons. There was no need for all that, her life was complicated enough as it was.

But as the pounding of Serith's presence in the back of her mind began, she knew that would never be possible. She was too deep in it. Erev was unbreakably connected to the spirit awakening inside her. And although he had promised her control and the ability to return to normal life, she had a feeling that the small demon before her would negate that agreement and draw Serith further into the world of the supernatural. Erev had no choice, no say in the matter. Her life was never going to be the same again.

Erev's train of though stopped cold as she groaned and clutched at her aching head. Serith was pressing against her control, pushing for dominance and driving her painfully into submission.

'Girl,' he finally snarled, annoyed at her resistance. 'Do not fight against me. It is better for both of us if I have control.'

'No,' was Erev's forceful response. "We had an agreement and I already know if you talk to this demon that you're going to break it. I'm not going to just stand by and watch you throw my life away.'

Erev crumpled against the ground and shut her eyes tightly, blocking out the rest of the world. The pressure opposing her mind increased tenfold as the spirit began to speak. 'I don't need your cooperation. This body is mine when I choose and yours when I allow it. And now it's time I put you in your place.'

Rather suddenly the pain stopped. Erev had lost. Her eyes opened and she regained her sitting position under Serith's direction. Erev pushed against him, too stubborn to give up despite her mental weariness. Serith easily brushed her attacks off, turning most of his attention to the now alert demon across from Erev.

"I will admit that you have some skill," Serith said. "But be aware that I am not in my true form. If I was, you would have been the one on the floor."

"I don't give a damn. You're weaker now. And the only reason I didn't kill you is because I thought you might become an asset for me."

"I am no one's lackey." Serith fairly snarled. After a moment he relaxed and continued. "However, I am indebted to you and I am not against the idea of a partnership. Explain."

The demon nodded. "Myself and two others are interested in obtaining the three Dark Treasures. We are still gathering information and our veteran thief suggested getting another member for our group as a precaution. You are entitled to anything in the Underworld Vault that you can grab while we pick up our items. You'll be watching your own back once we get there. Got it?"

"That does sound entertaining. And there is an item of value to me contained in that Vault." Serith smirked. "I accept your offer."

"Good."

Erev sat bored in the background of the conversation. She lost track of time as the demon, who she later learned was named Hiei, continued to give Serith information on their heist.

Erev had finally given up. She knew the position she was in was a bad one, and she knew she had no power to get out of it. Her feeble attempts to overpower her possessor gave weight to that fact. At some rare moment she would gain control, either by happenstance or a lack of concentration on Serith's part. But these lucky freedoms were few and far between; not enough to raise any hope over.

So for Erev the next month passed in slow agony. Serith never allowed her to regain control of his own volition. There were a few slip ups, but Erev never went anywhere. It wouldn't matter if she did, Serith would just come running back to the group of thieves. She silently hoped that once the heist was over that Serith would let her have control so she could go back home. She worried about her mother, about Keiko and her school friends; she wanted more than anything to let her mother know she was okay, that Atsuko hadn't lost both children in one day. But that wasn't possible in her position and her pleas with Serith went unheeded.

Serith did nothing useful during that month of waiting. He either slept, ate, or picked fights with other demons. Erev wanted to forget those days, to block them out of her mind completely. Because unlike her counterpart she was affected by the blood spilt and lives destroyed, even if they did look like monsters. She didn't wish that sort of death on anyone.

But there was good that came of her interactions with the demons. She met Kurama, who was empathetic of her situation even though he did nothing to help free her. He explained it in one of those instances when Erev was free of Serith's control. While he wanted to help her with her problems he had his own to deal with first, namely obtaining the Dark Treasures from the Underworld. He did promise to help her afterwards though, and that gave Erev enough hope to retain some sanity in those hours and days of mental confinement.

Then that fateful day arrived. They had already been prepared for some time, but the four bandits were waiting for a chance to actually get to the Underworld. Erev wasn't sure how, but Hiei caught wind of a portal large enough for all of them to fit through. And the hunt was on.

Once they arrived Kurama took control. The other three kept out of his way for the most part while he broke through the various seals and locks on the doors. Any guards that happened to see them were quickly dealt with by Serith, Hiei, and Goki.

But then one of the guards tripped an alarm just when Goki was about to finish him off as they stood outside of the opened vault. Red lights blinked in sequence as an annoying blaring began. A whole slew of the weaker guards rushed down the hall to greet them. The four retreated into the vault, quickly taking hold of the three Dark Treasures on display in the center of the room.

Serith helped fight against the guards spilling in through the door for a little while. As soon as the opportunity presented itself he retreated to the lesser items lining the eastern wall, leaving the others to fight off the diminishing number of sentinels.

Erev observed the spectacle with growing curiosity, wondering what kind of supernatural item Serith would choose to take. The answer was less than impressive. Erev was almost disappointed.

Serith broke the glass container perched upon a slender pedestal. There were two small jewels within, one a deep sable and the other a dull white with slivers of blue running through it. He took only one, the darker of the two. It looked unimposing to Erev, but then again she didn't know what it could do or what powers it contained. It could have been the most powerful item in the room. Wasn't there a saying that big things came in small packages?

Serith returned to the others, killing two of the four remaining guards in the process. Hiei took care of one and Goki prolonged the last one's death, squeezing the guard's skull in one of his large hands until even Erev could hear the bones breaking.

"That's enough, Goki," Hiei commanded irately.

"Yes," Kurama agreed. "Our time runs short."

Serith was already walking out the door. "Leave him to his fun. He can stay and get caught so we don't have to."

"Shut up," Goki snarled, releasing the guard and following the three as they made their escape.

They returned the way they came, barely making it past the closing exits and increasingly stronger sentinels. The portal the four entered through was still standing where they left it and they returned to the human world, landing in a rundown back alleyway. They had made it out of the Underworld's reach unhindered.

Hiei silently led them into heavier commuter traffic. The four walked for a long while until they came upon a shopping plaza. They quickly became lost from sight in the crowd. Erev knew that they had already decided on a place to go after the heist: the beginnings of a large forest outside of town.

"Erev!?"

Hearing her name, Erev instinctually thought to turn in the direction she heard the voice come from. Her head didn't move and she realized Serith did not share that intuition. But that voice! She knew who it sounded like, who she wanted it to sound like and wished desperately for only a chance to look. She knew it really wasn't possible, but she could never mistake her brother's voice for anyone else's.

There was nothing to be done about it. A crowd of people passed between them in Erev's peripheral vision and she knew she had lost him in the throng. It was just another dead hope.

The bandits continued on until they came out from under the shadow of the city. Hiei and Goki almost immediately began gloating and testing out their new magical items. Kurama slowly began fading into the background.

Serith stared at the small gem in Erev's hands, smirking lightly.

'What does it do?' Erev finally asked. She didn't really expect him to answer.

'While extremely rare, soul mergers are not completely unheard of. This, the Tear of Hate, allows for a partial separation between souls bonded together.'

'So . . . I guess that's a good thing.' Erev wasn't sure what to think of it. While not having to see all the same things that Serith did sounded like a good thing, she didn't know how exactly a partial separation would look, or feel for that matter. She hoped it wouldn't be painful, but knowing how the rest of the merger worked she doubted it would be that easy.

"What!?" An exclamatory snarl from Hiei reigned in Serith's attention.

"What do you mean?" he continued, facing Kurama. "Are you bailing out on us?"

"That's right," Kurama responded. He stood relaxed with hands in his pockets.

Hiei spat, "Whimp. You've gone soft since you started living among the humans."

'He says it like that's the worst thing Kurama could ever do,' Erev thought. 'Besides, he's not a complete pushover. He is the one that got us into the vault, after all.'

"Don't think you can just walk off with a split of the loot," Goki added. "Give us that mirror."

"Yes," Serith cut in, moving to join the others. "I'd be more than willing to use it for you. It's been a while since I've done any real terrorizing."

Kurama's eyes narrowed a fraction. "I'll keep it, thanks. I need it for something."

"You always had a smart mouth," Goki growled, rearing an arm back for a punch. "And it's been asking for this!"

"How about this: I take all three treasures," a new voice interrupted from the edge of the circle of trees. "And you guys save me some trouble by taking each other out."

Erev couldn't believe her eyes. She knew it was his voice she heard earlier, but wasn't willing to believe it was the truth. Yusuke had been dead to her, after all.

'Did he never really die in the first place?' She wondered. 'Did I get in this mess for nothing?'

Erev wanted to talk to him, to hug him and beat his face into the ground. It was always like her idiot brother to drag her into all of his messes and she was sure this would be another of them. That was the only way she could explain how he was there in the first place.

"How do you know about the Dark Treasures?" Goki asked.

Yusuke opened his mouth to spout out some sarcastic answer, but stopped as he finally caught sight of his sister.

"I knew it!" He shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at her. "I knew it was you, Erev! What the hell are you doing hanging out with these creeps? And dammit, don't you know I've been tearing down the city looking for you? Where have you been?"

Serith let out a laugh that settled into a dark grin. "I'm not quite what you're looking for, boy."


	5. Chapter 5: Something Stronger

A/N: The Goki vs. Yusuke fight scene and dialogue come straight from Yu Yu Hakusho manga number 3. Do not own!

Also I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed this story. I'm sorry I haven't given individual shout-outs or responses to past questions. I'm going to get to that soon, I promise! I just wanted to remind you all of my gratefulness for now. You really are the lifeblood of what I do here. Thanks again and enjoy!

Chapter 5: Something Stronger

Serith let out a laugh that settled into a dark grin. "I'm not quite what you're looking for, boy."

"What the . . .?" Yusuke reared back slightly in surprise, eyebrows rising. "Erev, what happened to your voice?"

'If you dare touch my brother . . .' Erev warned her mental companion angrily.

'Your threat is an empty one, human,' Serith responded. 'The boy invited death when he chose to meddle in our affairs.'

"The girl is no longer here," Serith explained to Yusuke. "This body belongs to me now. And who are you?"

Yusuke leveled a harsh glare on Serith, finally understanding the full weight of the situation. His sister was possessed. He didn't know how and really didn't care either. One thing was certain; he was going to get that guy out of Erev's body even if he had to beat the crap out of her to do it.

"I'm Yusuke Urameshi," he announced. "The Underworld detective, and all of you are under arrest."

The other demons finally rejoined the conversation as Goki and Hiei commented on Yusuke's title with disdain and skepticism.

"Strange." Hiei added. "He emits no power to speak of."

"And his defenses are pitiful. You could off this guy with one stroke," Goki said.

"Okay, they're not impressed," Yusuke admitted. He looked back to Serith. "But I don't care about them. I'm kicking your ass first."

Serith laughed at him before turning around and beginning to walk away. "Sorry, not in the mood."

"Get back here!" Yusuke bellowed, moving forward to chase his sister. Goki stepped up to block his path.

At the same time Kurama and Hiei also left the scene. Yusuke looked around at the now empty clearing, annoyed and frustrated. Not only had his sister slipped out of his grasp again, but most of his assignment was gone too.

"It won't take all four of us to deal with you," Goki said from in front of him. "They want to run off, fine, but I accept your challenge. If you want the loot, come and get it."

"Dammit," Yusuke scowled. He had a decision to make: fight Goki and get one of the guys Koenma was after out of the way, or try to follow Erev and save his sister. He was leaning toward the latter. He hadn't wanted to sign up for the job of detective anyway. Precious seconds slipped by as Yusuke continued to stare Goki down.

The waiting demon pulled an odd colored ball from his pocket.

"How about a quick snack first," Goki said.

Yusuke narrowed his eyes in thought, momentarily stalled from his intended course of action. 'That must be the Rapacious Orb.'

"This is a very useful item," Goki continued. "It sucks human souls from their bodies. I eat souls, but I always had to rip their bodies apart to get at them. That imparts an off flavor. And there was always the carcass to dispose of afterwards."

Goki stuck two fingers into the orb and pulled out a wriggling will-o'-the-wisp: a person's soul. Yusuke's eyes widened.

"But with this orb, the soul comes out fresh and sweet. No muss, no fuss, and I can have as many as I want."

"I bet I know where that soul came from," Yusuke said, finally connecting the earlier collapse of a small child with Goki's Dark Treasure.

Goki smirked. "Fresh today, you bet." He placed the soul in his mouth and swallowed. "A child's soul is best swallowed live. Heh. How it twitches and wriggles in my stomach."

Yusuke decided in that instant to stay where he was and kick Goki's ass. Erev may have been important to him, but she wasn't going to die anytime soon. He wasn't going to just let some little kid's soul be eaten when he was right there to stop it.

"Spit that out!" The livid teenager rushed at Goki, sending a barrage of powerful uppercuts to the demon's stomach. Yusuke finished with a hook to Goki's jaw, effectively forcing him to spit the soul out and knocking the demon flat.

"Hmph. Some demon," Yusuke said. He watched as the soul began to meander away toward its body. 'The soul seems to be okay . . . .'

Yusuke suddenly felt a presence behind him and jumped back to see Goki standing nearly untouched.

"You're pretty good for a human," he said.

"And you talk pretty good for a demon. I know how hard I hit you. You should barely be able to stand up," Yusuke retorted in complete confidence.

"That so?" Goki began to transform into his demon body, horns and claws growing as his skin hardened and muscles grew larger. Yusuke was impressed to say the least.

"Holy cheese on rye!!"

The much stronger Goki rushed at Yusuke, claws slashing against the boy's chest and burying into a nearby tree.

"You're quick on your feet too, ha ha ha," Goki said crushing the trunk his hand was imbedded in.

'Cripes!' Yusuke thought eyeing the scrapes across his cheek and chest where Goki grazed by him. 'He's a full-blown monster! I'm screwed! I don't stand a chance against a thing like that.'

'Wait! I have the Spirit Gun.' With that realization Yusuke began to try concentrating his energy. 'I-it's not glowing!'

Goki began to move toward him again. Yusuke swore as he remembered that he was only able to use the Spirit Gun once per day. He had already used his supply on Iwamoto earlier.

"The best way to enjoy a nice, fresh soul is to season it with pain and fear," Goki said, grinning maliciously.

Yusuke blanched. 'I am so dead!!'

ooo

Erev had never remembered working as hard as she did fighting against Serith for control of her own body. She was ecstatic when she saw Yusuke. He was alive and he was there to save her. Erev had been sure of it.

The situation changed, however, when Serith chose to leave instead of fight. And it sounded to Erev as they were walking off that Goki was going to be keeping her brother's hands full. He wouldn't be able to help her.

But seeing Yusuke had given her newfound hope. If her brother could return from the dead then she should be able to overcome a demonic spirit with no problem. With that encouragement, she began to fight against Serith once more.

It was a strange battle. There was no action to it and anyone looking from the outside would only see a young girl with a horrible migraine, sweating and holding her head in pain. Internally, however, a great deal was happening.

The two inhabitant's minds pressed against each other, trying to force one into submission of the other. The fight was also a tug of war contest, both trying to pull the body's responses under their control.

The dominant mind shifted several times. When one would win the other would pull that spirit back under. The silent battle raged until Erev finally arose as the victor.

Serith continued to try pulling her back, his attacks coming in the form of a pounding headache. But Erev pushed him away every time, having finally found the strength and reason to overcome her possessor.

Wearied but not overwhelmed Erev turned back to the clearing with only the thought of reuniting with her brother pushing her forward. She trudged along slowly until a sense of dread began to urge her forward faster. Erev realized all at once that her brother, strong as he may be against street punks, might stand no chance against a demon of Goki's caliber. And she knew Goki wouldn't hesitate to kill Yusuke, as slowly and painfully as the demon possibly could.

Pushing Serith's advances away again, Erev broke into a sprint. The rest of the distance between her and her brother soon disappeared and Erev was dismayed that her assumptions were proven right.

She came upon the two combatants at the tail end of the battle, easily scoping out the situation. Yusuke was bent over double, having just received a strong blow to his stomach. The untouched and cocky Goki meandered over to her brother.

"Oops," he mocked. "That was a bit rough. I forget how fragile humans are."

Yusuke coughed painfully and finally fell over as the remainder of his strength left him.

"I'd like to see you suffer for a while. A bit of fun for me, a lot of pain for you, then you die," Goki continued.

"Yusuke!" Erev jumped into action, rushing into the fray. She saw recognition flash through her brother's fading vision. Goki noticed her too, turning toward her in confusion.

"What the hell?" he began as Erev leapt at him. She shoved her hands against his throat and something odd happened.

Erev wasn't sure what she was doing, she didn't really have a plan. She already knew that Goki was at least three times her size and that she wouldn't be able to overpower him, but knowing that Yusuke was in danger pushed all logic out of her mind. She acted without thinking and was rewarded for her action.

Moments after her fingers touched Goki's skin it exploded with a bang, engulfing his head and shoulders in smoking flames. Erev jumped away quickly in shock, her hands smeared with blood.

She wasn't sure what had happened or whose fault the explosion was. Erev had a feeling that it was her, but she couldn't find any reason for it. She definitely hadn't tried to make Goki's head explode. One thing was certain, Goki died from that attack, whatever it was.

"I-I killed him," she mumbled, dazed and confused. She hadn't meant to, hadn't even wished it on him. But it had happened, and she was responsible. Erev couldn't even blame it on Serith this time. She had actually murdered someone. The full weight of it began to settle on her shoulders.

'I didn't mean to,' she thought. 'I just wanted to help Yusuke . . . .'

Serith pushed against her mind, taking advantage of her lull in concentration. Erev returned to the real world as her control slipped. She regained her bearings, pushing Serith back and rushing to her brother's side. She knelt next to him

Yusuke was okay, just unconscious. Feeling that the danger had passed, Erev began to grow fatigued. Her battles with Serith and the odd explosion both seemed to have taken a lot out of her.

"Oh dear," a female voice called Erev from her thoughts. She whipped around to see a young woman with long bright blue hair and pink eyes walking toward her.

"Who are you?" Erev asked, standing in preparation of another fight.

"Oh! I'm Botan, Guide to the River Styx and Yusuke's assistant. You must be Erev," she said excitedly. She didn't seem concerned that her associate was passed out on the floor. "You two look so much alike it would be hard not to know you're related!"

Erev blinked heavily. She didn't really care anymore, she was too tired. She could feel Serith waiting in the back of her mind, ready to pounce once she was tired enough.

"Why don't you help Yusuke, then?" Erev said as she sat down.

Botan nodded, retrieving the Rapacious Orb from Goki's dead body before picking Yusuke up, carrying him on her shoulder.

"Well, aren't you coming?" Botan asked as she waited for Erev to stand.

"You go on ahead, I'll catch up later," Erev said. "And move quickly. It won't be safe for you to be nearby."

"Okay," Botan said, unsure. She flicked her wrist and an oar appeared. Botan laid Yusuke in her lap and floated off on the small piece of wood.

Erev stayed awake as long as she could. Her strength waned and she finally gave in. Serith gained control without much of a fight and Erev once again saw the world through his eyes. But she didn't care. She had won one battle, so there was hope that she would win again. And her brother was safe so Erev didn't feel she had anything to complain about. She knew it was only a matter of time before she saw him again.

Erev fell asleep peacefully for the first time in several weeks.


	6. Chapter 6: Home Stay

A/N: Sorry about the wait, yet again. But here's the next chapter and now I'll answer some questions that have been presented in reviews:

Will there be a pairing?

Yes and no. Erev will be interested in someone, I won't say who, but I want to follow Togashi's style. That means that romance will be something kind of hanging out in the background. It'll be there, but more toward the end of the story and not really something important.

Can you draw Erev's character?

My drawing skills are equate-able with a seven year old's. If someone wishes to draw my characters, feel free.

Do you have to follow the 'Guide to a perfect review'?

No, it's for fun. And it helps me so I don't get 15 reviews that all say 'Update soon!' I like to know what you think.

I think that's it . . . . Please let me know if you have any questions, I'm happy to answer. And thank you all for such wonderful reviews! They really do keep me from quitting.

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 6: Home Stay

Serith stood from Erev's former resting place on the clearing floor. He snarled ruthlessly, resisting the feelings of vertigo that came as he moved too quickly for Erev's weakened body. Even with the extra energy his demonic powers afforded his host's body, Serith felt the pull of fatigue on his mind. He began to move anyway, intending to return to Hiei's warehouse hideout.

Serith cursed Erev's lack of control. He had seen what she did to Goki and knew that her powers manifested under stress in one large burst. The results were spectacular, but the excess use of energy left nothing in reserve and made the situation more difficult for him.

The trip back to the warehouses took twice as long as usual. Serith was forced to walk at a normal pace rather than run like he normally did. The fatigue brought out his impatience and Serith was soon in a foul mood.

Hiei seemed to ignore Serith's obvious frustration when the two finally met.

"I didn't think you would be one to run from a human," Hiei sneered. "Especially one who issued so blatant a challenge."

"Shut up," Serith snarled in return, leaning back against the roof of the warehouse they were perched on. He smirked. "In fact, you have no right to speak on the matter since you seemed to have disappeared the second time I came around. Did the human scare you off?"

Hiei scoffed. "It wouldn't have taken all of us to kill that boy. My presence wasn't necessary. Goki should have been enough."

"He wasn't. Goki's dead."

"So Koenma's lackey is actually worth something?"

"No," Serith shook his head. "The boy was defeated. It was this girl; his sister. She regained control at seeing her brother's distress. Naturally her spirit energy was enhanced by mine."

Hiei nodded. "That's why you're so weak now. Hmph. Worthless. You can't even keep that girl under control."

"It doesn't matter. Now that I have the Tear of Hate this body will be mine permanently." Serith pulled the small gem from Erev's pocket, watching the moonlight roll over the obsidian tint.

Hiei said nothing. Serith didn't want to admit that he had no idea as to how the Tear worked. He could lock Erev away in the back of her own mind; he could gain full control and never be concerned with her nagging again. He only needed to find the code word to unlock the power of the stone.

Serith considered going to Kurama. The fox was old enough and seemed to know a great deal about rare and valuable objects.

He decided against it. Kurama had grown too fond of his host. There was no certainty that he would give the code to Serith rather than Erev. He would have to find another way to unlock the item's secret, and quickly.

ooo

"_Yusuke!"_

He was being called. He recognized the voice, it was one he hadn't heard in at least a month. But everything was still black. What was he supposed to do?

Then the memories came back: his assignment, the meeting in the forest, his fight, and loss.

Yusuke sat up suddenly, thinking he was still on the forest floor and remembering his last thoughts. Erev had come rushing in. Yusuke hoped he wasn't too late to help her.

But light shone in from his right as he sat on the familiar cushions of his bed. Yusuke blinked in surprise.

"Huh?" he spoke into the silence. "I'm . . . back home."

Hearing his voice, Atsuko peeked her head into the room. "Yusuke! You're awake!"

She walked over to the bed and slapped her still confused son over the head. "You numbskull! You came home a total mess. Did you pick a fight with a pro wrestler or something?" She suddenly burst into tears. "You just got back from the dead, stop making me worry so much!"

"Okay, okay! Stop crying, sheesh." Yusuke furrowed his brow. "It would've been worse. Except for . . . ."

He quickly jumped out of bed and ran out into the living room. "Erev?"

"How are you feeling?" A voice asked behind him. Yusuke whipped around, slightly disappointed to see Botan standing by his bedroom door.

"Botan! What happened? Where's Erev? I know I saw her before I passed out."

Botan smiled grimly. "The good news is that Goki was defeated and you now have one of the three Dark Treasures you have to retrieve in seven days."

"Yeah? Well that's cheery," Yusuke said sarcastically. "And what's the bad news?"

"Erev didn't come. She's being possessed by a demonic spirit and escaped his control long enough to help you win your fight with Goki. She went back under possession after we left." The smile dropped from Botan's lips.

Yusuke's fisted hands shook as he fumed in silence for several moments. The image of Erev's face flashed in front of his eyes, malice and deceit etched into her features. That thing was not his sister. Yusuke had waited long enough to get this close to having her back. He wasn't about to let some demon stop him.

"How do I get her back, Botan? What can we do?" he finally asked.

Botan bit her lip. "The Dark Treasures weren't the only things missing in the Underworld Vault. We can only assume that whoever is controlling Erev was with those demons, and he took something as well."

"It's called the Tear of Hate," she continued. "And it separates souls that have been merged together."

Yusuke's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"

"It means that, if this spirit is planning on using that item, there's nothing we can do to remove him from Erev. Her soul has been connected to the spirit, so we can't forcibly un-connect them. And the Tear of Hate doesn't really separate the joined souls either, it only creates a barrier between them and sets up one as more dominant than the other. The dominant soul dictates whether the lesser soul attached to it is allowed control of their body through the Tear. If that spirit knows how to use the Tear, we're already too late to do anything. The spirit would be in control and only let Erev out when he wanted to."

Yusuke bristled. "And if he doesn't know how to use it?"

"I do." Botan tapped her forehead. "We can give the power to Erev instead."

"Then we have to find her." Yusuke nodded gravely. Botan returned the gesture.

"We can use this." She pulled out a small compass. "The Demonic Aura-Meter. It's one of your detective items. It should be able to track down the spirit inside Erev. I estimate that at your current capability it will only have a range of about 500 meters."

Yusuke took the watch and put it on. He flipped the switch on its side and waited. The dial wavered a little. He slapped the compass. "What's wrong with this thing? Is it even on?"

Botan shook her head. "She's too far away. We'll have to start out the old fashioned way: on foot."

Yusuke snarled and ran out of the house in an impatient frenzy.

'Erev, I'm coming.'

ooo

Yusuke looked at his compass for the fifth time in ten minutes. He looked back over the crowded shopping plaza, lit with lamps and the silver light of the moon.

His patience had worn out hours ago. Yusuke started walking again, not really sure where to go. He had a long day of fruitless searching behind him and no clear options ahead of him. He growled and checked the compass again.

It started beeping. Yusuke startled and stared at the little dial. 500 meters exactly. Northwest.

He took off running, jostling the people in his path. The distance closed. 400. 300. It had to be her.

100 meters.

Yusuke stopped, panting, and looked around. People shopping blocked his view. He looked for Erev's long black hair, but found bright red instead.

The compass hadn't found his sister; it led him to one of his opponents. The demon saw him and approached. Yusuke stiffened.

'Maybe he won't attack in the middle of a crowd . . .' Yusuke thought.

The demon stood in front of him and waited a moment before speaking. "No need to bristle like that. I'm not here to fight . . . or run."

"In fact, I need a favor," he continued.

Yusuke furrowed his brow, confused. "Favor?"

He nodded. "Give me three days. Then I'll return it."

Yusuke wasn't sure what to do. He hadn't been expecting this kind of meeting.

"Uh . . . sure," the detective finally said with a shrug.

"I guess," he added under his breath.

The demon smiled lightly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded slip of paper. He held it out and Yusuke took it.

"What's this?"

"A location that may be of interest to you," the demon answered enigmatically. He stepped around Yusuke and disappeared into the crowd.

Yusuke looked at the address. He didn't recognize it, except that it was on the south side of town. He shrugged and shoved it in his pocket. It was time to go home and report to Botan.

ooo

"He's a criminal," Botan responded to Yusuke's account of his encounter with Kurama. "It's got to be a trick. I mean, the full moon is in three days. That's when Kurama's treasure, the Mirror of Darkness, is at its most potent. Whoever looks in that mirror will see his or her deepest desire revealed. The mirror will then grant that desire, if something is offered in return, though we don't know what that is."

She held up a finger. "I'll bet that's what Kurama aims to find out in the next three days."

Yusuke sat silently on his bed during Botan's speech, thinking. "Why did he come to me, then? Unless he wanted me to stop him."

"Ah . . . good question." Botan looked puzzled.

Yusuke turned to the window. "Talking to him, I got this feeling that he's not all that evil."

"You can't mean that!" Botan exploded. "His friend nearly killed you."

Yusuke turned back to her. "Look, I didn't tell you before but he and his friends weren't exactly getting along. Kurama wanted out of whatever pact they had. I didn't find out why. Something could have happened to change his mind, something important. Maybe it's just me, but what I saw in his eyes made me believe him."

They were silent for a long moment.

"Yusuke!" Atsuko chimed. "Dinner's ready. Botan, you're welcome to join us."

Yusuke threw up his hands. "Ma, we're having a serious discussion here."

She glared back. "So serious you can't share it with your mother?"

Yusuke rolled his eyes as his mother sidled up next to him. "This new friend of yours is quite pretty, y'know. If you're two-timing Keiko . . ."

"Feh! I'm not two-timing anybody!" The detective said. He blinked and suddenly remembered something.

"Hey, Botan." Yusuke turned back to his partner. He pulled the sheet of paper from his pocket. "Kurama gave me this. Do you know where it is?"

Botan took it and looked at the address. "I think that's a shipping yard. There are a bunch of warehouses down there. What's it supposed to mean?"

"I don't know," Yusuke shrugged. "But I want to check it out, tonight."

Botan nodded her agreement.

ooo

"Alright, here we are," Yusuke observed as he and Botan stood by the line of warehouses. "What now?"

"I don't know. We don't even know what we're looking for," Botan sighed. "Maybe this is their hideout."

Yusuke nodded and switched on his compass. It beeped immediately and pointed to the warehouse labeled 'No. 3.' The two shared a glance.

"Well," Botan said. "It's either Hiei or Erev. . . . Or both. Are you sure you're ready?"

"Nope." Yusuke dashed off toward the warehouse. He flung open the door and looked around. It looked deserted.

"Well done, detective."

Yusuke looked to his left where a dark figure leaned against a stack of crates. Red eyes shone like two perfectly placed drops of blood.

"Yes. Welcome to our humble abode."

The detective's head whipped around. The voice came from his right this time, female . . . almost. His sister, no, the demon, stepped out of the shadows. Yusuke noticed something different.

Erev never wore jewelry, yet a single black stone hung from one earlobe. The Tear of Hate, he assumed. Yusuke glowered. Did that mean he was too late?

Yusuke backed up until he could see both of them and bumped into another body. He glanced behind him, where Botan stood at the entrance of the building. He heard her swallow nervously.

The two demons approached and Yusuke took another step back. He was going to have to fight, but he knew he couldn't take both of them at once. He was backed into a corner with no easy way out.

'Shit.'


	7. Chapter 7: No Escape

Chapter 7: No Escape

Erev watched Serith's struggles with the Tear of Hate apathetically. He kept repeating the same few words to it in many different languages, trying to awaken its powers. It hadn't worked for the last two hours. She was certain he didn't even really know what he was doing.

Erev hardly cared, though. Her thoughts were elsewhere: on her brother, on Goki. If she had control of her body Erev would have shuddered. The image of Goki's death was still fresh in her mind, the moment playing over and over in her imagination. She could almost still feel his warm blood on her hands. How could she ever live that down? Sure, he was a mean person and had tried to kill Yusuke, but Goki was still a person, a sentient being. And she had cut his life off short. What did that make her? Was Erev a murderer now, or could she lay the blame on self-defense? Was it okay to save one person from death by causing another's?

Erev wanted to cry. She wanted her brother back so she could cry on him and he would call her an idiot for thinking so circularly. But, more than anything, she just wanted someone to hug her and tell her she wasn't a monster, that she had done the right thing. Because she didn't know it herself.

Her despondence made her useless. If Erev wasn't so concerned about the death on her hands she would have had more energy to fight Serith and go look for Yusuke. But, as it was, all she did was sit around and mope, with only her thoughts to keep her company.

She barely noticed when the sun went down. Serith was still speaking relentlessly to the stone. Hiei had never come down from the roof. Erev guessed he was sleeping.

With a snarl Serith gave up on the Tear. Erev thought he might throw it across the room, but he only slid it into the hole of her left earlobe. He had converted it into an earring early that morning, she guessed for ease of use. He did vent his frustrations on a stack of crates and the mess of wood easily spilled across the floor.

"Serith." Erev's head turned to Hiei's voice. The shorter demon leaned against some boxes several feet away.

"The boy," Hiei finished. Erev didn't understand what he meant but Serith looked to the closed door of the warehouse expectantly.

It opened suddenly with a bang. Yusuke sauntered in. Erev knew it was a bad situation. Serith was angry and frustrated, and when he was in that mood he liked to fight. Not to mention Hiei. The two of them together would tear her brother apart.

Yusuke figured the same thing out when he noticed Hiei, and then Erev when Serith spoke. He backed up as the two demons approached and bumped into Botan.

'Oh, bad,' Erev thought. 'This is real bad. Yusuke, you idiot, couldn't you use your brain for once?'

Erev watched and waited. She would have to come up with a plan before she did anything rash. Yusuke would be able to hold his own while she figured out how to work the situation to their advantage.

'Girl,' Serith warned, interrupting her thoughts. 'Don't try anything or I promise to rip his head off with your bare hands.'

Erev didn't respond. She knew he would do it too. She would just have to catch Serith off guard, when he least expected it.

Yusuke took the first move and charged at Hiei, who dodged easily, gloating. Serith didn't seem interested in the fight, though, and turned his eyes to Botan. He approached the grim reaper easily while Yusuke was occupied with Hiei.

Erev was still trying to work out something, anything that could give her brother victory. It was a difficult task, considering everything around her was distracting her out of thinking.

'Concentrate! Concentrate,' she told herself. 'There's gotta be a way to trick them. What'll catch both of them completely off guard?'

The idea hit her suddenly and Erev could have slapped herself on the head. 'Duh! Of course! Why didn't I think of that sooner? I just have to time this right.'

In the real world, Serith quickly closed the space between himself and Botan, catching the blue haired girl by the throat.

"Ferry girl. You work for Koenma, correct?" A dark grin lit up Erev's face as Serith flicked the Tear of Hate at her ear. "Then you must know how this works. Tell me and I may spare your life."

Erev saw the muscles in her arm tighten as Botan choked lightly. Fear was evident in her eyes.

"Erev," she called. "I know you're in there. I know you can hear me. Fight him, Erev. We need your help!"

Erev's response was to sink further back in her mind. If her plan was going to work, Serith would have to forget she was there. Botan's reminder didn't make that easy.

"She will not fight," Serith sneered. "She fears me, as should you. Now, give me what I seek."

Botan coughed, her face tinted blue. Her eyes began to roll back.

"Sorry Erev," a voice behind Serith spoke. Serith didn't see it coming. Yusuke's fist connected with Erev's head and sent her hurtling across the room. Botan slumped to the ground, breathing hard.

The detective didn't have much time to think on it as Hiei returned. The demon pulled him into another fight and easily overpowered the teenager. Yusuke was sent sprawling as well, smashing into one of the large boxes.

He groaned and heaved himself onto his arms and legs. There was no way he could win. Yusuke could barely keep up with Hiei and he didn't really want to hit his sister. So far it was only one on one and he was still losing.

"Where did that speed come from, detective?" Hiei said as Yusuke stumbled back into the open. "You were on that girl in an instant, much faster than when we were fighting."

Yusuke ignored the demon. He looked past Hiei to his assistant on the floor. "You okay, Botan?"

"Y-yeah," she coughed.

Hiei scoffed. "So you're the sort who rises to the occasion when a friend's in need. That's the type of human I hate the most."

On the other side of the room Serith stood and wiped Erev's bloodied lip. Rage overtook him, fueled by frustration at his lack of success with the Tear of Hate. He couldn't let Hiei have all the fun, Serith wanted a piece of the detective as well.

Serith ran to meet them and found the demon and human in a stalemate. He went straight for Yusuke. The delinquent was caught off guard and his eyes widened briefly before Erev's fists rained down on him.

Yusuke tried to defend himself, not really wanting to hit his sister. Serith saw his hesitation and took advantage of it. With a sharp cry the spirit created an opening in Yusuke's defenses and buried his fist in the boy's gut. Yusuke fell back several feet.

Erev took that as her signal to act. Hiei was far enough away after that stunt. He wouldn't be able to hear if she talked to her brother. She gathered up all her mental strength and with one hard push of mental energy gained control of her body. Serith never saw it coming. Erev kept up her guise, acting as Serith. She rushed over to Yusuke's sprawled body and jumped on him, raining a barage of light punches on his face.

Yusuke noticed the change and tried to question her with his eyes as his head moved back and forth.

"I'm back, so listen," she whispered quickly. Yusuke's eyes widened. "I need you to send me back toward Hiei, like we were fighting. I'll hold him and you hit him with everything you've got. Now!"

Yusuke wasted no time and kicked her off of him. Erev winced. He tried to be gentle, but it still hurt. He grabbed her collar while she was recovering and flung her at the approaching demon. Yusuke had good aim and hit his target dead on.

Hiei fell back with a grunt as Erev slammed into his chest. They rolled for a moment before both trying to stand. Hiei was the first up and Erev followed soon after, making sure to position herself behind him. Hiei never saw it coming.

"Now, Yusuke!" Erev cried and locked her arms under Hiei's shoulders as her hands tied behind his neck. The demon barely started to resist when a flash of blue light caught him square in the chest. They were both knocked back from the force and Hiei landed on Erev, unconscious.

Erev groaned and gripped her head, not bothering with the passed out demon on top of her. Serith was not happy. He pushed hard against her control. Erev didn't know how long she could last.

"Yusuke!" She called. He would know what to do. "Yusuke!"

Erev felt the weight lifted from her chest. A hand touched her forehead. "What's wrong? Sorry if my rei gun hit you."

"Can't . . . fight," Erev ground out. Her head shook back and forth, as if to throw Serith off. "No, no, you can't . . . ."

"Botan!" Erev heard Yusuke shout. "What do we do?"

"It's that spirit," the grim reaper observed. "Erev, listen to me. You can lock him up, you just have to say the right word to open the Tear. The word is leysa. You have to say the word leysa."

Erev groaned. She could hardly hear Botan. She was slipping under, Serith was gaining again.

A harsh slap to her cheek woke Erev again.

"Dammit, Erev. Just say the stupid word," Yusuke commanded, worried.

"Word?" Erev was lost. She didn't have enough strength left.

"Leysa," Botan repeated.

Erev forced her eyes open. She saw her brother, his own eyes full of concern. She needed more strength. Erev pushed herself up and fell against his chest. He was real after all.

"Leysa," Erev whispered. Yusuke was really alive, how could she not have enough strength to beat Serith?

Immediately Erev felt refreshed, as if dipped in a cool lake. A dark blue light covered her for several moments. Erev could feel her mind renewing. The constant pressure of Serith's presence was dissipating. She had her head back, all to herself.

After a few minutes Erev looked up at Yusuke. The light had receeded. She was the only one in her brain. The process was much less painful than she first assumed.

"You okay?" Yusuke asked. He sounded relieved.

"Yeah." Erev smiled.

"Aww," Botan clapped her hands together. "It's a family reunion."

Erev pulled away from her brother. How long had it been since she had a hug? She punched his chest lightly.

"Pinhead, I thought you were dead," she accused. He crossed his arms over his chest.

"I was," Yusuke shrugged. "Then you went and disappeared. I had to come back to find you."

Erev grinned at his concern. "Thanks."

Yusuke rubbed a finger under his nose, embarrassed.

"Yeah, well, you get lost on your way to school if I don't help. You'd better start learning how to read maps cause I'm not gonna be your personal GPS forever, ya know," he said in a loud voice.

His sister kept smiling. It was so good to have him back. Yusuke stood and offered her a hand.

"So, what happened? What's the story?" Erev asked. She smiled at Botan who sidled up next to her.

"Geez, what a pain," Yusuke grumbled.

ooo

Three days passed. Yusuke gained the last Dark Treasure from Kurama without a fight. The fox was glad to hear that the brother and sister had been reunited. Erev learned of Yusuke's new 'job' as Underworld Detective and she told him how she ended up with a second soul.

Erev could still talk to Serith when she wanted. She agreed to his earlier proposition and let him out for an hour every day, after Botan explained the rest of how the Tear worked. It turned out there was a word to let Serith out as well. Yusuke wasn't happy about Erev's arrangement and always kept a close eye on the demon.

Erev stretched her arms. She had been sitting at her desk for far too long. But, she had missed a lot of school and needed to catch up. Needless to say, her weekend was shot.

A knock sounded at her door. Erev groaned, figuring it was her mom coming in to check that she was still there . . . again.

"Come in," she said. Erev was pleasantly surprised to see the blue haired ferry girl. "Oh, hey Botan."

"Hello," she responded cheerily.

"What brings you here?"

"Well," her smile dropped slightly. "I came to take you to the Underworld. Lord Koenma would like to see you."

Erev's eyebrow shot up. That couldn't be good. She sighed. Was she ever going to escape from the supernatural?

ooo

Ha, wrote that all in one sitting. Hope you liked it, and don't forget to review.


	8. Chapter 8: Simple Design

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter done. You'll be seeing more of me now that school's out. Happy reading!

Chapter 8: Simple Design

The Lord of the Underworld. The name sounded powerful, and one immediately invented a powerful figure to accompany it. Erev had imagined a giant, supreme and awe inspiring. She hoped she could make a good impression.

"No need to be scared, dear," Botan assured Erev, seeing her pale countenance. "It's more about Serith than you."

The doors before them slid open after Botan announced herself over the comm. Erev nodded to her companion and licked her lips nervously. They entered.

Erev blinked in surprise. Ogres rushed around in a frenzy, shouting to each other and flinging papers. She had imagined the place as more solemn, well ordered, and . . . well, not that. She had a hard time tearing her eyes from the mess of business. Botan waited patiently for her and finally led Erev to the desk at the opposite end of the room.

Botan cleared her throat and announced their arrival. The baby boy sitting there looked up from stamping papers. Erev stared but didn't dare say anything. He couldn't be . . . .

"Thank you for coming, Erev." The binky moved as Koenma spoke. Erev watched it in fascination, barely catching his words. "We've used the last few days to review your case. It took a lot of time because of the oddity of the situation, but we've decided on a suitable punishment."

Erev bit down on her lip as she tried to contain her smile. Her body shook with suppressed laughter as a few small giggling sounds escaped her. She knew she shouldn't be laughing at the Lord of the Underworld, but it was just too silly. So much power and honor given to a toddler. It was even more ridiculous than the stock market version of heaven she had just witnessed. Koenma didn't seem to notice as he shuffled some of the papers on his desk. He continued.

"For Serith of course, not you. He killed five humans, many of our guards, and stole a valuable item from my father's vault. We cannot let him go unpunished. And I'm sorry, but there's no way to get around your involvement. We've also decided to allow you to keep the Tear of Hate, for now. I know it will be useful for you."

Erev snorted and he looked up at her. His eye twitched lightly as he sent her an annoyed glare. She couldn't contain it any longer and let loose a round of giggles. Botan sighed in exasperation and Koenma tapped his fingers against his desk as he waited for Erev to finish.

"I'm sorry," Erev breathed as she tried to contain her laughter. She apologized again a moment later as she calmed considerably.

"May I continue?" Koenma asked, annoyed.

"Sure," Erev smiled. "Can I just ask one question?"

He nodded.

"Is the Overseer of Hell a teddy bear or a kitten?" The mental image that statement produced sent Erev into another fit of laughter. Koenma didn't seem amused.

"Now I can see the relation to Yusuke," he mumbled. Erev quieted again.

"Anyway," Koenma said forcefully as he set them back on track. "Your punishment is this: you will accompany Yusuke on all his missions as Underworld Detective. You don't really have to do anything on these missions. Serith is the one they're intended for. Just give him control when you start the assignment and you should be fine."

"Okay," Erev said, knowing there wasn't much she could put against his decision. He was the Lord of the Underworld, after all.

Erev shook her head briefly. She thought she would be done with the supernatural after Yusuke rescued her. Apparently it was just the beginning. She didn't mind that much, though. It would be a good way to keep an eye on her troublemaking brother.

Koenma eyed her for a moment. "I need to speak with Serith about this as well, but before that I have a question for you."

Erev nodded.

"Botan has told me about the arrangement you set up with Serith," Koenma said. "Why would you allow him that sort of luxury knowing what he's capable of? Not to mention what he's already done to harm you."

Erev blinked and looked to the ceiling in thought. "I guess it's because I want him to be able to trust me. If you give someone your trust first, they're more likely to return it. Serith doesn't yet but he respects my attempt, I think, so he doesn't do anything too crazy."

Koenma nodded. "A young statement, but well meant. Unfortunately, the real reason Serith doesn't do anything is because he's already been caught and he'll lose the privilege he has if he overreaches. May I speak with him?"

Erev bristled at being told she was wrong but remembered who she was speaking to and did as she was told before she said something rash.

"Gefa ut." The word released Serith. Erev could have listened in if she wanted, but she already knew what they were going to talk about. She instead settled into the darkness and drifted into dreams.

oooo

Not a week passed before Erev was given her first 'assignment' by Botan.

"It's not exactly a mission," she explained as they sat in an empty classroom. Yusuke didn't join them. "Yusuke has been given an infiltration job that will serve as good training for him and he doesn't really need any help with that. So, Koenma's decided to set you up with your own trainer so you can bump up your skills in case you can't rely on Serith."

"Okay." Erev nodded, swinging her legs from the desk she sat atop. Botan passed her a slip of paper. She opened it to find a name and address.

"You'll be training with Master Takeo, one of the top five reiki masters," the grim reaper explained. "He uses a different form of martial arts than most, one Koenma thinks will be the most useful for you. He specializes in the healing arts so you'll be training your energy for recovery rather than fighting."

Erev nodded again. "When does this start?"

"He expects you to come over the weekend," Botan said.

"Ah, there goes my extra day off," she pouted.

"Oh, don't worry! I'm sure you'll have lots of fun." With a wave and a cheery good-bye the grim reaper left the room.

Erev glared at the writing on the paper in her hand. "This sucks. Where's Yusuke so I can kick his ass? It's his fault all this started anyway."

Erev jumped off the desk and made her way outside. She made it to the front lawn of the school before she was stopped. She turned to the direction she heard her name being called.

"Hey Haru," she said to the blonde boy.

"Hey," he responded as he stopped in front of the shorter girl. "I was looking for you."

"What's up?"

He paused and Erev watched as a red tint crept up his skin. "Well . . . um, I was just wondering if . . . you see there's this . . .this concert this weekend and-"

"Erev!" She blinked and looked to see Yusuke approaching with a large, odd grin on his face. "There you are! You promised to hang out, remember?"

He took her shoulder and began to steer her out of the school yard. Erev blinked and looked behind her to the wide eyed Haru.

"I'll see you tomorrow!" she called to him with a wave. She turned to her brother. "I didn't promise you anything, Yusuke. But if you want to hang out, I'm cool with that since I'll be leaving this weekend."

Yusuke stuffed his hands in his pocket. "Botan got you too, huh?"

"Yup! So what do you want to do? Catch a movie? See a ball game?"

"Whatever," the boy shrugged. He didn't really care now that they were outside of school grounds.

Erev clapped her hands together excitedly. "I know! Let's go to the arcade. I'll totally kick your ass in Mortal Kombat!"

"Hah! Fat chance."

Erev grinned and her brother returned the gesture. The fight was on. They spent the entire afternoon together, making a competition out of everything. First they fought at the arcade (Erev won that one), then over where they would eat, then who could eat the most, and who could get home faster (Yusuke won there).

Erev loved it. She wasn't that competitive with anyone else and knew it was just a special way she could bond with her brother. She yawned as she lay in bed that night and realized they hadn't done that in a while, and probably wouldn't get another chance any time soon considering their new jobs. But Yusuke would still be around and she was happy for that. They would still have adventures together, just different kinds. Erev couldn't wait.

oooo

Erev glanced at her map again as she readjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. She had wandered pretty far out and hoped she hadn't gotten lost on her way to Master Takeo's house. Her fears were appeased a moment later as she reached the crest of a tall hill and looked down into the trough below it. A quaint house sat nestled among the forestry with a wide open space in front leading up to the dirt path Erev was on.

She sighed in relief and made her way down to the front door. Erev knocked and waited. A minute later she knocked again. No one answered and she began to wonder if she had the wrong place, or maybe no one was home. Erev sighed and scratched her head, wondering what to do.

"You just died five times over," a male voice commented from behind Erev as something hard bounced against the back of her head.

Erev whirled around. A tall, older man stood there with a disgruntled look on his face. He tapped the stick in his hand against the ground.

"What . . . who . . . when did-"

"Koenma didn't tell me I'd have so much basic work to do," the bald man interrupted.

"Are you Master Takeo?" Erev asked.

"That's right. I've been standing here for the last few minutes and your weak senses didn't even notice. If I had been an enemy you would be dead. Do you have any experience in fighting?"

Erev fidgeted. "A little."

"Alright," he sighed. "We'll have to start at the very beginning, then. 50 laps around my property, from the crest of the hill over there to the edge of the forest behind my house."

"But . . . now?" Erev asked. She was starting to get really hungry after her long hike.

Takeo folded his arms, annoyed. "Of course, I'm not getting any younger."

'Well, I guess this is what I came here for,' Erev thought as she dropped her bag and took off at a jog.

Erev was sweating and panting heavily when she finally returned to the front of the house where Takeo was waiting patiently. She bent over, placing her hands on her knees.

"Water break," Takeo commanded. Erev looked up and saw him holding out a water bottle to her. She took it with a grateful nod and downed the cool liquid. She sat down on the ground and waited for her overactive heart to slow.

"40 push ups." Erev had barely been resting five minutes before her teacher issued his next command. She groaned and did as she was told.

"We can't even start on basic fighting technique or reiki concentration until you get your body into enough shape," Takeo explained. "You won't be sitting in front of the tv munching chips while I'm in charge here."

'Well . . . this sucks.' Erev did as she was told for the next few hours, until the sun began to set. Takeo's regimen was merciless and Erev could barely stand when he announced it was time for dinner. She wobbled inside the well lit house and was introduced to Takeo's wife, Renee, who had prepared a large meal for them.

Erev couldn't eat fast enough; she was starving hungry. As they ate, Takeo set up the rules of the house. They were pretty simple: training from sun-up to sundown, she could do what she wanted the rest of the time and if Erev didn't get enough sleep that wasn't his problem, no wandering without permission, help Renee keep things clean, and more things along those lines. Erev wasn't used to so much order, but she quickly acclimated seeing as that was the life she lived for the following two weeks.


	9. Chapter 9: Follow

A/N: I spent the day watching Yu Yu episodes, so I got back into this for a while. And a reminder to everyone in case you've forgotten or haven't seen yet: I use the manga version for this series. There are some things that happen that come from the anime, but for the most part, it's from the manga. Happy reading!

Chapter 9: Follow

Erev yawned and stretched as the sun's early rays caught her eyes. She shot up as she realized what day it was and jumped out of bed with an excited whoop. She would finally be able to go home. It was the two week mark of the beginning of her training and Takeo had agreed to let her visit home in lieu of her advancements.

She quickly dressed and pulled open the door to her room with a grin. She stepped into the hall and swiftly turned to the left as she felt the air shift. Erev moved just in time to deflect the stick coming down on her head. She wrapped her arm around Takeo's until his twisted far enough to drop the weapon into the crook of her arm. Erev grasped the stick quickly and returned his attack. Takeo caught it in his free hand.

He smiled at her and nodded. Erev returned the gesture. She had passed the test.

"Good job," Takeo complimented as they separated. "Very good job. You've improved greatly in a very short amount of time."

"Thank you," she responded. The two made their way into the kitchen where Renee was humming a tune as she finished her cooking.

"Have fun at home," Takeo said when they were seated at the table. "Don't forget to practice to keep up your skill. And I expect to see you back here to finish your reiki training."

Erev nodded with another smile. She would finally be going back home. She had started to get homesick. She missed her brother and mom, her friends, the arcade, school . . . .

She blanched and gripped the table as a horrible thought came to her. "Oh my gosh! School! I've missed so much school." She groaned as her head dropped. "I'll be so far behind. Think of all the work I'll have to do to catch up!"

The older couple laughed at her grief.

"Oh the woes of the young," Renee commented as she set pancakes on the table. "Sorry to say, dear, it only gets more complicated as you get older. This is a simple as your life's going to be."

Erev sighed as she slid four of the breakfast cakes onto her own plate. "Yeah, well, it's still not that easy."

"Of course not. Anything that's worth doing is going to be hard work." Takeo smiled.

"Yeah, yeah." Erev rolled her eyes. "I've heard this speech before, old man."

"You'll understand it one day," he said as Erev moved her concentration to her food. The girl really liked living with Takeo and Renee, but sometimes they got too . . . parenty. She hated lectures and Takeo liked to give them. A lot. That was just another reason she was happy to go home. No one there wanted to tell her what to do. Besides, Erev was smart enough; she could figure that stuff out on her own. She didn't need grandpa shoving life lessons down her throat, and she told him that when his speeches got too long or repetitive. It didn't affect him, though, and he continued anyway.

Erev left after breakfast. She ran down the dirt trail to Takeo's hideaway house and wondered at how she had thought the trip up there long and tedious. Now it seemed like a stroll through the park. She sprinted straight home.

Atsuko welcomed her back with open arms and many dramatic tears. Erev finally escaped her mother's grasp to take a long, relaxing bath. She hadn't been able to stop long enough to do that at Takeo's house.

"Keiko just stopped by," Atsuko told her as she stepped out of the bathroom. "She brought you your homework."

"Great! I'll get started on that right now," Erev said and retreated to her room, sitting at her desk and diving into the load of schoolwork waiting for her. She really felt like sleeping but convinced herself not to.

'I'm gonna sleep a whole week once I catch up,' she thought as she opened her trigonometry book. 'Nothing's gonna stand in my way from relaxing after all that hard work.'

"Hey, ma! I'm home." Yusuke's loud voice carried through the house. Erev looked up with a new smile on her face. The family was all together again. She glanced back down at her schoolbooks and decided it could wait while she welcomed her brother back. She would have plenty of time to finish it later.

oooo

"Erev," Atsuko called into her daughter's room, pushing the cracked door open all the way. Erev looked up from her textbook. "I brought you a snack."

She set the tea cup and plate of sushi on the desk. Erev smiled and popped one of the fish rolls in her mouth. "Thanks, mom."

Atsuko grinned and suddenly pulled her daughter into her bosom. "Oh, I'm just trying to help my baby girl stay smart! It's so nice to have such a genius in the family. You could be a doctor or a lawyer! Sometimes I can't believe I popped such different babies out at the same time. You make me so proud."

The woman sniffled and it looked as if she was about to cry. Erev rolled her eyes and patted her mom's back. "Thanks mom, but I really need to keep studying. I have a lot to catch up on."

"Oh, of course, of course." Atsuko pulled away and moved back to the door. She pulled it closed, leaving enough room for her head.

"My little genius," she exulted. Erev laughed. Atsuko slinked away at the sound of the doorbell ringing. The girl shook her head. Her mother had been paying a lot more attention to her children since Yusuke's death. She guessed it was a good wake up call for Atsuko. It was nice, really.

"Oh Erev!" Atsuko sung her name again. The woman rushed back into the room with a chestire grin on her face. She pulled her confused daughter out of her chair. "You didn't tell me you knew such a handsome man! If I was a few years younger I might steal him from you. He says he's here to take you on a trip!" The woman ended her relay with a squeal of delight.

"What?" Erev had no idea what Atsuko was talking about. "Who are you talking about? I'm not expecting anyone."

"Well go out there and look," Atsuko said as she shoved Erev into the hall and toward the front door. Atsuko stopped around the corner from the entrance and peeked her head around to watch. Erev grumbled her annoyance.

The door was left standing open and Kurama stood calmly outside. He smiled lightly upon seeing her.

"The Underworld has assigned me to assist you on your next mission," he said simply. "I was ordered to retrieve you while Botan went to find Yusuke. We'll be meeting up with Hiei and go to Demon City from there. Come, I'll inform you of the details as we walk."

"Uhh," was her brilliant response. She glanced down at her school uniform. "Hold on a sec. I can't go out fighting in a skirt."

She started to walk back toward her room but stopped as she thought of something. Erev grabbed Kurama's wrist and pulled him along, passing her mother in the hall. She dragged him into her room, slammed the door shut, and pushed him over to the window.

"Don't turn around," she warned. "Just tell me about this mission thing."

He nodded and crossed his arms behind his back. Erev began to undress. "The Four Beasts of Demon City have issued an ultimatum to the Underworld. They want the barrier wall around the city to be dropped so they can gain access to Human World. A hoard of roundworm monsters, parasites drawn to dank, gloomy souls, has been unleashed under control of an Enabling Whistle. Our objective is to destroy or capture the whistle so the Four Beasts have no sway in the Underworld."

"'Kay, I'm done," Erev said. Kurama turned around and a surprised look crossed over his face. Erev grinned. "Yup, I snagged one of Yusuke's old uniforms before he threw it away."

Kurama looked away from the green school uniform and moved to the door. Erev followed with a grin. She had always wanted an excuse to wear her brother's clothes and now she had one. Since it was his uniform from last year and she had grown in that time it actually fit her quite well. She followed Kurama to the door, waving goodbye to Atsuko on her way out.

"Bye mom, see you later."

"Have fun, dear," the woman responded with no concern to where Erev was going or when she would be back.

She followed Kurama to an old warehouse. Hiei was waiting outside the door. He sent her a nasty glare and turned to go inside. Erev stuck her tongue out at his back. Kurama chuckled beside her and followed the other demon's lead. The three found the portal left open in place of one of the floorboards. Hiei jumped in first without a word.

"See you on the other side." Erev waved to Kurama and followed. She felt her stomach drop for a second before her eyes opened to a gloomy sky. She could feel the air passing quickly beneath her, but before she had time to realize she was falling she stopped. Erev looked up and saw that her jacket had snagged on a branch of the tree behind her. She glanced down at the ground, watching as a group of hooded creatures scurried away, and saw that it wasn't that far of a jump for her.

She also saw her brother and, oddly enough, Kuwabara standing up. They looked at Kurama and Hiei, who had landed safely on a different, larger branch as the two jumped down to the ground. Erev wriggled and squirmed but couldn't pull loose from the tree branch. She sighed.

"How embarrassing," she mumbled before speaking in a louder voice. "A little help here!"

The four boys turned to her voice. Yusuke burst into laughter and pointed a finger at her. Erev began to fume.

"Shut up and help me, you dork!" she shouted to her brother. Erev was eventually let down with Kurama's help. She 'hmph'ed as she stood in the group of boys and dusted her uniform off.

"Erev, why are you wearing my clothes?" Yusuke asked in a deadpan voice.

"I'm not talking to you right now, jerk," his sister responded haughtily. Yusuke rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." He turned his attention to Kurama and Hiei. "So what are you two doing here?"

"Community service in lieu of jail time, you might say. We might even earn pardons if we help you three out," Kurama responded.

Yusuke grinned back. "Good ol' Koenma, unpredictable as ever! Kuwabara, allow me to introduce Kurama and Hiei."

The confused look disappeared from Kuwabara's face. He exchanged greetings with Kurama. Erev watched the interaction with a small smile. It was funny how guys made friends.

"You've got Kurama's angle," Hiei interjected. "But here's mine: I'm out to snatch the treasures and weapons the Four Beasts beat me to. So don't expect any help from me, got it?"

"And because you're Koenma's bitch," Erev mumbled under her breath. Kurama feigned his laugh as a cough and Hiei sent her a glare, baring his fangs. The other two didn't hear. She rolled her eyes.

"What's with the shrimp? He's coppin' a pretty high and mighty attitude!" Kuwabara said.

"Does a death wish cause you to speak that way to me?" Hiei returned. Erev watched in curiosity. She had just handed him a bigger insult, but Hiei didn't really say anything. She wondered why his attitude was different toward Kuwabara.

"You don't like it, runt? Tough toenails!" Kuwabara said as he moved in.

"Stop it, Hiei. We can squabble after this is finished," Kurama cut in.

Hiei turned his attention to Yusuke. "I still have a score to settle with you." He glanced harshly at Erev. "And you. I'll warn you once: watch your back."

"Yeah, whatever. Frankly, I'll take any allies I can get," Yusuke said. The troupe set off, heading for the large, odd looking castle in front of them. Erev moved to her brother's side. She swung her arms as she walked and laughed as she took note of something odd.

"What's up?" Yusuke said.

"I guess it's a guy thing. You all have your hands in your pockets," she responded. He looked. Sure enough, all four of them had at least one hand in the pocket of their pants. He shrugged.

"Guess so." A serious look suddenly spread over his face. He pulled Erev into a headlock and twisted his fist against her head. "And who said you could wear my uniform? You make me look like a girl."

"Ow, ow, Yusuke!" She tried to wriggle free. "You idiot! That's because I am a girl. Let go of me."

He finally released her. She smoothed down her hair and pouted. "Now we've fallen behind."

"Hey." Erev blinked at the serious tone in his voice. Yusuke turned his chocolate colored eyes on her. "Be careful in there, okay?"

Erev gave him a thumbs-up. "Sure thing. You too."

"Hey, you two!" Kuwabara called. "Stop hanging around, we've got a castle to raid."

"Coming!" Erev said. She sent another grin to her brother and ran to catch up.


	10. Chapter 10: With You

A/N: Well, I'm back with my yearly update XD Jk, now that this semester's over I hope to have more time to devote to fanfics. So you might see more of me ^^ Happy reading!

Chapter 10: With You

"That's some entrance," Kuwabara said as the group stood before the tunnel leading into the castle. The eyes and fanged mouth carved into the rock served as an appropriate welcome. Erev shivered.

"Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained!" Yusuke commented. "Let's go, guys."

Erev smiled at her brother's willingness to ambush blindly. He sure was an idiot, but at least he was a brave one. She fell into step behind Kurama as they ventured into the brick tunnel, casually flicking the stone at her ear. Serith was waiting patiently in the background. Erev had told him everything about the mission and that he would eventually be required to fight, but for now she wanted time with her brother. And the power boost his spirit provided her body would be a great sneak attack.

A flapping noise brought Erev's attention back to the tunnel as a bat with an eye for a body flew into view.

"Welcome to Labyrinth Castle. Those who dare to enter will be tried at the Gate of Betrayal."

"Tried?" Kuwabara and Yusuke asked simultaneously. The creature moved over to the wall in front of them and pulled down a lever with one of its tentacles. Erev looked up as she heard a large creaking noise. At first it didn't register in her brain, but the ceiling quickly collapsed on all of them. Reflexively, she lifted her arms over her head to protect herself and found that it indeed stopped. She huffed, straining against the weight. It didn't look like the guys were faring much better.

"The gate is keenly, sensitive, quite smart, and very wicked," the bat creature informed. "It analyzes the strength of each person and applies the exact amount of pressure that he can tolerate. If even one of you relaxes in the slightest – splat!!"

"I've heard of buildings having character, but this is ridiculous," Erev ground out. Yusuke cursed. The others only grunted as the demon continued.

"If one of you strives to save himself by escaping, the others will be flattened. If none of you attempts a betrayal, you'll all exhaust yourselves in this futile effort and die together. As you can see, only craven traitors may enter this castle. The choice is yours."

"What a load of crap!" Kuwabara shouted.

Erev clenched her eyes shut. Her arms were beginning to shake under the pressure. She turned to the only person she thought could find a way out.

"Hey Kurama, got any ideas?"

He huffed and sent her a small smile. "One, and I don't think you'd like it. It looks like Yusuke is working on one of his own anyway."

Erev finally noticed her brother talking to Hiei.

"Run out and try to raise that lever by the eye guy!"

"Yusuke! Stop being stupid," she grit out. "He already said he wants us dead. Don't give him an easy way to do it."

"You go, Urameshi. You don't wanna trust that little creep!" Kuwabara said, backing Erev up.

Hiei smirked. "Your friends are right. Do you really want to trust me?"

"I can support your share of the weight for a second or two if I give it all I've got. Go, Hiei. Just don't take too long, 'kay?"

Hiei hesitated for a second before he ran out from under the falling ceiling. Erev's knees buckled as it suddenly got a lot heavier. She mentally snarled at her brother for making things worse. Yusuke's energy spiked. He was trying to hold up the extra weight by himself.

Seeing that Hiei was taking more time than necessary in deciding whether to help them or not, Erev added her own reserve to her brother's. She wasn't going to let him die again without a fight.

"Gefa ut!" Erev receded to the back of her own mind. It was always an odd feeling and she didn't think she would ever really get used to it. She continued to watch, though, in case she was needed later to keep Serith in check.

"Dammit woman! What the hell is this?" were the first words out of Erev's mouth once the spirit took over. He only had to hold up the ceiling for a few seconds before they were released.

"It stopped," Yusuke said, relieved. The four looked up in time to see Hiei slash through the demon's eye.

"Tell your masters I'll spare their lives if they'll submit to my will. They get one chance to beg for their lives. That's it!" he shouted after the retreating bat.

Serith stood by Yusuke as they made their way over to Hiei.

"Good work, Hiei. Thanks!" Yusuke clapped the short demon on the shoulder. "You sure made us sweat with that imperious act of yours. You're one supremely twisted guy."

Hiei grunted and pulled away from the detective. "I didn't do it for your sake. This will go faster with backup."

He resumed walking toward the castle. Kurama took his place a moment later.

"In his own way, he's trying to say 'You're welcome'," the fox encouraged.

Serith scoffed. "Keep telling yourself that."

The other three turned, surprised. They obviously weren't expecting that kind of response from Erev.

"You again!" Yusuke said after a moment, pointing an accusing finger at Serith. The spirit smirked.

"Is there a problem?" he taunted.

"Where's my sister? Give her back!" Yusuke grabbed the collar of Erev's uniform. Serith seemed to contemplate it as he looked up and to the right.

'Well?' Serith asked Erev.

'It's probably a better idea if you stay. We don't know what's up ahead and you'll end up fighting eventually anyway,' she responded. 'But tell Yusuke I'll keep cheering him on from the sidelines.'

Serith grunted. He looked back to Yusuke. "It seems she doesn't want to come out. You're stuck with me, boy."

"I'm watching you," Yusuke glowered. He let Serith go and followed after Hiei.

'That's not exactly what I said,' Erev commented. She was promptly ignored. It wasn't new. She was beginning to expect it from Serith.

The group of detectives continued on through the castle. They decided to head upwards, assuming the strongest demons would be on the top levels. The corridor was eerily silent save the echoing patter of footsteps. At one point Botan called to give Yusuke an update of the happenings in the human world.

Yusuke apparently didn't like the silence that followed and turned to Kurama. "What do you know about these four beasts, Kurama? I mean, I have no idea what we're about to face."

"Well, as you may have gathered from the special measures the underworld took to restrict them, they're very dangerous. And they don't look at all human, so brace yourself for that."

"Such high praise," a voice from behind the door beside them spoke. The five turned, surprised. "I blush."

"This one of them?" Yusuke asked as he threw the door open. Serith rolled his eyes.

"I hope that's a rhetorical question." His comment earned a glare from the detective.

"Welcome. I, Genbu, will take good care of you," the creature before them said. "Behind me is the one staircase in the castle that leads up. Defeat me and gain the stairs . . . or die."

Serith stood at the back of the group. He clenched Erev's fists in frustration. He couldn't fight a demon made of stone. Since Erev had begun her training with Takeo, her body had become stronger, enabling it to handle more of his spirit. Now he could access more of his own energy. The only problem was that it manifested in a way that was completely useless against stones.

He didn't have to worry, though. Kurama stepped forward to fight Genbu one on one. The fight was a short one, even though it turned out to be longer than expected. Kurama had sustained a few injuries by the end of it and they all rushed to his side as soon as the fight was over.

"Genbu was a formidable opponent," Hiei said. "Kurama won't be able to go on."

"No problem! Leave the rest to us." Yusuke gave the fox a thumbs-up.

"Yeah, I'll work the next creepoid over!" Kuwabara put in. Serith laughed.

"You don't even know what's ahead of you. This will be fun to watch," he smirked. The spirit moved forward ahead of the others.

"I still don't like him," Yusuke growled. Kuwabara nodded his agreement.

"It will take time," Kurama put in as he rose to his feet again. "For now, neither party trusts the other."

"Let's keep moving." Hiei followed Serith and the rest soon joined them.

'You don't have to be so mean to them,' Erev said to Serith as they traveled down another long corridor. 'You're going to be stuck with us for a while, so you might as well make friends.'

'How trite,' Serith responded.

'I'm serious! Yusuke's just worried about me, okay? I'm sure he wouldn't be as temperamental around you if it weren't for the situation. Just . . . give him a chance.'

Serith grunted to show he heard, but said nothing. Erev sighed to herself. It was so difficult to get him to respond. The time at Takeo's had helped a little. He would actually talk to her again. He would even be civil about it for the most part. They got along okay, but every time Serith and Yusuke were with each other the two just butted heads. It was annoying for Erev, having the two people closest to her (quite literally) fighting at every chance they got. She knew she couldn't force them to be friends. She just hoped they would eventually warm up to each other enough to hold a real conversation.

A rumbling roar that shook the very walls of the castle interrupted Erev's thoughts.

"What? What was that?" Kuwabara was the first to ask. "It sounds otherworldly."

"Byakko. That's his roar. Sounds like he's in a pretty foul mood," Kurama responded.

"Let's go!" Yusuke took off running. The group of detectives soon found the stairs that led up and came out at the edge of a circular area. It resembled an arena. On the other side, on a raised platform, their opponent stood waiting.

"I can't believe I had to get off my butt to deal with pesky little fleas like you," the tiger announced.

'Ooh,' Erev thought. 'Maybe that means he's out of shape. This could be an easier fight.'

'Don't count on it. Demons don't weaken over time like humans. If a demon gets weaker it's for better reasons than sitting around doing nothing. Byakko's at the same strength he was at when the barrier was set up, if not stronger,' Serith said.

'That's . . . good to know.'

Kuwabara, after some banter with Hiei and Yusuke, stepped forward to fight.

'Go Kuwabara! You're the man,' Erev cheered. She had always held a certain respect for the tall delinquent. It had only gotten stronger since she saw him jump into the spirit detective case without thought to himself or the dangers. It was sweet of him to help, if not a bit stupid.

Erev watched, on edge, as Kuwabara went up against the four doppelganger beasts Byakko summoned. He eventually won through an interesting tactical move, but not without injury. After that he took on the saint beast and though his aura sword seemed to be the worst weapon against Byakko, Kuwabara used it to his advantage to win in the end.

"Scratch another monster." Yusuke grinned, excited. He turned to his friend. "You ok, Kuwabara?"

"More or less."

"A pity." Serith smirked. "I didn't think a human could be saved by stupidity alone."

"Shut it! If you weren't in a girl's body, I'd smash your face in," Kuwabara said. "But I wouldn't hurt Urameshi's sister like that."

'Umm, thanks?'

Serith laughed. "I would've liked to see you try it. It's unfortunate I'm barred from killing humans."

A tense silence settled between Serith and the two human boys.

"Look!" Kurama drew their attention to the destroyed portion of the castle, where Byakko was rising to his feet.

'So is there some rule about being a saint beast that you have to be killed twice to really be dead?' Erev sighed.

"I'll admit I'm impressed. Your tactics were effective," Byakko said. "To show my respect, I'll lead you to my chamber. To the room from hell!"


End file.
